UC-NRLF 


bD    420 


Ezra  Stiles  and  the  Jews 

J 

SELECTED  PASSAGES  FROM  HIS 

Literary     Diary 

CONCERNING    JKWS    AND    JUDAISM 

WITH    CRITICAL   AND    EXPLANATORY   NOTES 
BY 

GEORGE   ALEXANDER   KOHUT 


NEW   YORK:    1902 

PHILIP  COWEN,   PUBLISHER 

489  FIFTH   AVENUE 


[l<eprinted  from  THE  AMERICAN  HEBREW, 
November,  1901,  to  June,   1902]. 


THE    CAMERON     PRESS 

653-655  First  Ave. 
New  York 


So 

Beraman  ©omen, 

tfjeae  pages  art  reorrentlg  inscribed 


M153124 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Introduction 5-13 

His  Semitic  Scholarship  and  his  Jewish  Friends 14-28 

Jews  charged  with  Toryism 28-37 

Conversions  of  Jews  in  New  England  and  elsewhere  . . .  37-49 
His  Progress  in  Semitics  and  some  Notes  on  the  New 
port  Jews 49-64 

A  Letter  from  the  Holy  Land 64-66 

Two  Newport  Jews 66-67 

Some  Female  Hebraists 67-72 

A  Word  on  Jewish  Ceremonials  and  Proselytes 72-77 

Bibliographical 77-78 

The  Rabbis  whom  Dr.  Stiles  Knew 78-98 

Further  Progress  in  Semitics  and  the  Study  of  Hebrew 

at  Yale 99-107 

Appendix  /.—Statistical  Notes  : 

1.  The  Jews  in  Newport 

2.  Jews  in  New  Haven  and  elsewhere  in  Connecticut  I  -.QQ-.^ 

3.  Jews  in  Philadelphia 

4.  Jews  in  Georgia 

Appendix  //.—Rabbi  Haijm   Isaac  Carigal  and  Ezra 

Stiles 114-133 

Appendix  ///.—Miscellaneous  Notes : 

1.  Jews  in  Charleston,  S.  C. 

2.  A  Newport  Jew,  a  Portrait,  and  an  Epi-  ^  134.143 

taph 

3.  Obituary  Notices  of  the  Lopez  Family 

Index.... 145-152 

A dditions  and  Corrections 153-155 

List  of  Illustrations  : 

1.  Facsimile  of  the  title-page  of  a  Discourse,  1722. . .  39 

2.  Facsimile  of  the  title-page  of  an  Essay,  1722 

3.  The  Synagogue  at  Newport °0 

4.  Portrait  of  Rabbi  Haijm  Isaac  Carigal 90 


EZRA  STILES  AND  THE  JEWS/ 

INTRODUCTION, 

The  fact  that  Yale  College,  which  celebrated  its 
bicentennial  at  New  Haven  last  week  (Oct.  1901) 
with  so  much  eclat,  has  on  its  corporate  seal,  in 
•addition  to  a  Latin  inscription,  one  in  Hebrew,  is 
a  significant  as  well  as  a  curious  circumstance.  It 
represents  an  open  book,  upon  which  are  inscribed 
the  symbolic  words,  n^ni  Dmx  (Urim  v'  Tummim), 
It  illustrates  the  influence  of  the  Od  Testa 
ment  upon  the  thought  and  policy  of  New  Eng 
land — an  influence  more  paramount  in  the  colony  of 
New  Haven  than  possibly  anywhere  else,  if  we  may 
judge  from  the  following  passage  of  an  enactment 
bearing  the  date  1644,  which  proclaims  that 

"  In  the  beginning  of  the  foundation  of  this  plantation 
and  jurisdiction,  upon  a  free  debate  with  due  and  serious 
consideration,  it  was  agreed,  concluded  and  settled  as  a 
fundamental  law,  not  to  be  disputed  or  questioned  here 
after,  that  the  j  udicial  laws  of  God,  as  they  were  delivered 
by  Moses  and  expounded  in  other  parts  of  Scripture,  so  far 
as  they  are  a  fence  to  the  moral  law,  being  neithertypical 
nor  ceremonial,  nor  having  a  reference  to  Canaan,  shall  be 
accepted  as  of  moral  equity,  and  as  God  shall  help,  shall 
be  a  constant  direction  for  all  proceedings  here  and  a 
general  rule  for  all  courts  in  this  jurisdiction,  how  to  judge 
between  party  and  party  and  how  to  punish  offenders,  till 
the  same  be  branched  out  into  particulars  hereafter." 

This  vigorous  avowal  of  the  binding  force  of  Old 
Testament  doctrine  had  much  to  do  in  shaping 
the  destinies  of  the  colony  and  university.  The 
study  of  Hebrew  was  not  only  encouraged,  but, 


*  The  Literary  Diary  of  Ezra  Stiles.  Edited  with  notes  by 
F.  B.  Dexter,  three  volumes,  New  York:  Charles  Scribner's  Sons, 
1901. 


under  President  Stiles'  incumbency,  made  compul 
sory  for  a  time,  no  doubt  the  deeper  to  impress  the 
students  with  a  sense  of  the  importance  and  sublim 
ity  of  Holy  Writ,  and  to  induce  a  profounder  view 
of  the  spiritual.     Dr.  Stiles  was  too  sturdy  a  church 
man  to  suffer  himself  to  abate  in  his  zeal,  either  in 
biblical  study  or  in  the  instruction  of  Hebrew,  which 
he  considered  a  vehicle  of  salvation,  or,  as  Cotton 
Mather   so   eloquently  said,  "the   fiery  chariot   to 
carry  one  heavenwards."     From  the  Literary  Diary 
of  Ezra  Stiles,  just  published  with  valuable  notes 
by  Professor  F.  B.  Dexter,  of  Yale  University,  we 
learn  that  no  man's  education  was  considered  quite 
complete  without   an   adequate   knowledge  of   the 
sacred  tongue  and,  whoever  pretended  to  scholar 
ship  at  all,  was  constrained,  whether  he  willed  it  or 
not,  to  be  "a  good  Hebrician,"  as  Ezra  Stiles  terms  it- 
He  has  preserved  for  us  the  names  of  such  of  his 
learned   contemporaries    who    have    attained    pro 
ficiency  in  the  study  of  Hebrew,  and  on  one  or  two 
epitaphs,   probably   composed    by    Dr.    Stiles,   the 
necrologic  formula  of  the  Old  Testament,  usually 
inscribed  on  Jewish  tombs,  Zeher  Tsaddik  Livracha,  is 
added  in  Hebrew   characters.      There   were   even 
women  Hebraists  in  his  day  whose  accomplishments 
are  commemorated  in  his  Diary.     Not  only  his  sons, 
but  his  second  wife  and  daughter  as  well,  studied 
Hebrew.     A  knowledge  of  the  Bible  was  the  sine 
qua  non  of  all  culture,  and  we  need  not  be  surprised 
to  find  his  wife  attending  one  of  his  classes  (cf.  Vol. 
III.,  p.   526).     The  following  entry  under  date  of 
July  21st,  1793  (cf.  Vol.  III.,  p.  499)  is  significant : 

"  My  wife  died  1775.  She  read  thro'  the  Bible,  five 
times  the  last  four  years  of  her  life,  once  in  about  9  or  10 
months.  Kezia  [his  daughter,  born  in  September,  1760,1 
died  1785,  she  read  it  thro' five  times  the  last  five  years  of 
her  life." 


"  Besides,  reads  in  course  privately  in  rny  study,  I  read 
thro'  the  Bible  in  my  Famy  at  family  Morning  Prayers 
from  1760  to  1791,  eight  times,  or  once  in  four  years. 
My  tarn?  have  had  full  opportuny  of  being  acquainted 
with  the  sacred  Contents  of  the  Bible." 

The  graduates  of  the  college  received  on  gradua 
tion  a  copy  of  the  Bible,  "a  small  edition  in  Hebrew 
and  Greek"  as  Dr.  Stiles  states  in  his  diary  (cf.  vol. 
iii.,  p.  41).  The  Bible  was  a  household-book  in  New 
England,  and  its  people  loved  it  and  read  it  dili 
gently. 

^  Before  remarking  on  Dr.  Stiles'  scholarship  in  the 
Semitic  languages,  it  is  worth  noting  that  he  was  a 
man  of  wide  and  varied  attainments.*  In  addition 
to  being  versed  in  the  classics,  he  had  a  rare  fund 
of  "polite  learning,"  and  displayed  an  aptitude  for 
natural  and  physical  science  most  remarkable.  His 
studies  and  researches  cover  quite  a  long  range  of 
subjects:  Meteorology,  astronomy,  physics,  silk  cul 
ture,  horticulture,  political  economy,  philosophy, 
ecclesiastical  history,  race  problems  (sociology), 
languages,  etc.  As  an  evidence  of  his  force  of 
character  and  mental  capacity  be  it  mentioned  that 
in  1784,  at  the  age  of  57  years,  he  began  to  study 
French.  Judging  from  his  very  exhaustive  and  ac 
curate  accounts  of  battles,  sieges  and  engagements 
during  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  his  numerous 
charts  and  diagrams,  he  appears  to  have  had  more 

*  For  biographical  data  concerning  him,  see  an  interesting 
article  on  "  Ezra  Stiles  and  the  Jews,"  by  Rev.  W.  Willner  (a  grad 
uate  of  Yale),  in  the  "  Publications  of  the  /  merican  Jewish  His 
torical  Society,"  No.  8  (1900),  p.  120;  and  the  "  Literary  Diary," 
vol.  i.,  pp.  1-2;  ii.,  pp.  524-5  autobiographical).  His  son-in-law 
the  Rev.  Abiel  Holmes,  A.M.,  pastor  of  the  First  Church  in  Caml 
bridge,  published  in  1798  "  The  Life  of  Ezra  Stiles,  D.D. ,  LL. D.," 

Boston:  Printed  by  Thomas  &  Andrews, May,  1798— 

8°,  403  pp.     [The  preface  is  signed,  Cambridge    April  5,  1798J. 
See  also  J.  L.  Kingsley,  "  Life  of  Ezra  Stiles"  (Boston,  1855). 


than  a  meagre  knowledge  of  the  "art  of  warfare/" 
and,  from  his  love  of  detail  and  incident,  we  would 
judge  him  to  be  an  admirable  war  correspondent. 

He  was  an  omnivorous  reader,  and,  perhaps  to 
preserve  more  carefully  what  interested  him  most^ 
he  transcribed  hundreds  of  pages  from  various  books 
treating  of  history,  travels,  ethnology  and  the  like, 
thereby  preserving  a  number  of  valuable  items 
which  might  otherwise  have  been  lost.  He  was  an 
eager  and  exact  correspondent,  wrote  fluently  in 
Latin,  French  and  Hebrew,  and  his  epistolary  style 
in  English  is  full  of  strength  and  beauty.  His  lit 
erary  activity  was  very  great,  and,  though  he  pub 
lished  little,  the  enormous  mass  of  unpublished 
material  testifies  to  his  marvelous  diligence.  Steal 
ing  leisure  from  his  onerous  official  duties,  he  has 
compiled  material  for  a  number  of  works  which 
were  destined  not  to  be  issued  during  his  lifetime. 
A  few  sermons  and  addresses  were  printed  under 
his  eye  (cf.  Diary,  vol.  i.r  p.  53;  vol.  iii.,  pp.  81,  182y 
201,  272-3,  276,  278-80),  and  his  "  History  of  the  Three 
Judges  "  [of  King  Charles,  who  found  asylum  in 
Connecticut :  Whaley,  Goffe  and  Dixwell  (cf.  vol. 
iii.,  p.  485  and  Index,  p.  634a)],  appeared  in  1795. 
Among  his  most  remarkable  efforts  may  be  reckoned 
Ms  impassioned  plea  in  behalf  of  the  negroes,  of 
whose  return  to  Africa,  tinder  a  protectorate,  he  was 
a  zealous  champion. 

An  idea  of  his  stupendous  industry  may  be 
gleaned  from  the  following  entry  in  his  Diary,  vol. 
iii.,  p.  336  (Dec.  16th,  1788): 

"  Last  week  I  had  brot  home  from  the  Book  Binders 
Eight  Volumes  of  Mss.  bound,  of  which  one  folio  & 
rest  Quartos,  3  of  which  Letters  received.  I  have  now 
thirty  four  Volumes  Mss.  bound,  3  of  w[hi]c[h]  others 
Letters  the  rest  my  own  Writing." 

Thirty-one  bulky  volumes  of  unpublished  material 


are  indeed  a  rare  testimony  of  scholarship  and  a 
worthy  heritage  of  learning-  to  the  institution  over 
whose  fortunes  he  presided  with  such  tact  and  dig- 
nity  from  November  6th,  1777,  until  his  death  Mav 
12th,  1795. 

Dr.  Stiles'  interest  in  Old  Testament  study  was 
manifested  early  in  life.     While  at  college  he  com- 
piled  a  "  copious  chronological  compendium  of  the 
Old  and  New  Testaments"  (Holmes,  Life  of  Presi 
dent  Stiles,  p.  13).     In  his  earlier  years  he  was  some- 
what  narrow  and  intolerant  in  his  theological  views 
and  not  at  all  predisposed  in  favor  of  the  Jews,  but 
he  emerged  from  the  waves  of  skepticism  which 
swept  over  him,  shortly  before  he  reached  his  ma 
jority,  with  not  only  a  larger  faith,  but  a  meeker 
spirit,  and,  far  from  regarding  the  Jews  with  distrust 
and  bitterness,  he  began  to  seek  for  evidences  of 
their  whereabouts   in   far-away  places   to   test  the 
truth  of  prophecy—and,  what  seems  more  remark 
able    in    those    days    of    rigid    exclusiveness,    he 
delighted   to   cultivate   their   friendship.     In   1759, 
then  aged  32  years,  he  began  a  series  of  inquiries 
concerning  the  fate  of  the  Ten  Tribes  since  their 
Dispersion,  tidings  of  whom  had  come  to  his  ears 
from  time  to^time,  and  whose  spiritual  state  gave 
him  no  end  o'f  concern.     "  By  a  learned  Jew  from 
Saphat,    in    Galilee,"   writes   his    son-in-law   and 
biographer,  Rev.  Abiel  Holmes  (p.  85  et  sq.),  -he 
addressed  a  letter  in  Latin,  to  some  Greek  priest, 
or  bishop,  living  in  the  Holy  Land,  or  in  Syria.    Its 
design  was  to  obtain  an  exact  description  of  the 
Holy  Land  and  of  Syria;  a  map  of  the  Lake  of  Gal 
ilee  ;  of  the  lake  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  and  of  the 
rise  and  course  of  the  river  Jordan  ;   information 
concerning  the  inhabitants  of  the  various  nations  on 
that  territory    ,    .    .    whether  any  nations  practice 
circumcision,   who    anciently    observed    that    rite, 


10 

without  a  derivation  from  Jews  or  Mahometans, 
etc.™  The  purpose  of  this  inquiry,  says  Holmes 
'  in  a  footnote,  where  a  Latin  extract  from  the  letter 
is  given  (p.  86),  was  to  discover,  if  possible,  the  Ten 
Tribes  of  Israel,  a  favorite  subject  of  his  researches. 
We  find  him  taking  up  the  same  theme  with  re 
newed  eagerness,  seven  years  later,  in  a  letter 
addressed  to  J.  Z.  Hoi  well,  Esq.,  author  of  "  Histori 
cal  events  relative  to  the  Empire  of  Hindustan  '* 
and  an  old  resident  in  Bengal,  to  whom  he  applied 
for  information  respecting  the  Jews  of  Cochin  and 
Patna  and  their  probable  identity  with  the  lost 
"Ten  Tribes"  (See  Holmes,  pp.  112-114,  and  W. 
Willner  in  the  Publications  of  the  Am.  Jew.  Hist.  Soc., 
No.  8,  p.  122).  In  August,  1772,  he  continued  his 
investigations  and  despatched  a  lengthy  letter  in 
Latin  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Busch,  a  Moravian  minister 
in  Astracan,  near  the  Caspian  Sea,  soliciting  particu 
lar  information  concerning  the  habits  and  religious 
observances  of  the  Tartars,  their  language,  ritual, 
traditions  and  other  matters  pertaining  to  their 
rites  and  usages.  A  summary  of  this  interesting 
epistle,  which  is  not  mentioned  in  the  Diary,  and 
which  covers  ten  quarto  pages,  is  given  by  Holmes 
(cf.  pp.  158-161 ;  see  also  Willner,  /.  c.t  pp.  122-123), 
who,  in  a  note,  refers  to  Henry  Vansittart's 
Secrets  of  the  Afghans,  written  in  Pushtoo,  and  trans 
lated  into  English  by  Sir  William  Jones,  in  1784, 
as  affording  corroborative  evidence  of  Dr.  Stiles' 
theory  of  the  Jewish  origin  of  the  Afghans.  Since 
his  day  a  number  of  similar  researches  have  tended 
to  confirm  the  probability  that  some  of  the  Asiatic 
tribes,  notably  the  Falashas  of  Abyssinia,  as  proven 
by  Ladd,  Halevy  and  others,  may  be  of  Hebraic 
descent. 

From   an   entry    made   in   his   Diary,  July   llth, 
1771  (vol.  i.  p.  121),  we  learn  that  others  in  America, 


II 

besides  Dr.  Stiles,  were  interested  in  the  relations 
of  the  "  Kalmuck  Tartars  and  the  Ten  Tribes." 
Four  years  later,  Aug.  23,  1^75  (vol.  i.  p.  60/),  we 
read  this  curious  item  :  "  Conversing  with  a  learned 
Jew  lately  come  [to]  Town,  who  says  last  year  there 
was  a  report  at  New  York  of  the  discovery  of  the 
X  Tribes  among  the  Tartars."  Seventeen  years 
later,  April,  1792,  in  a  letter  to  the  famous  traveler, 
Bruce,  whose  work  he  had  read  with  much  relish 
and  satisfaction,  he  returns  to  the  subject  again: 
"Have  the  Jews  of  Samen  any  synagogues  or  places 
of  worship  ?  Have  they  the  anniversary  feasts,  as 
well  as  Sabbaths?  Have  they  a  liturgy,  and 
priests,  and  sacrificas?  "  (Holmes,  p.  318  ;  Willner, 
p.  123.)  One  year  before  his  death  he  was  intent 
on  the  same  topic  of  inquiry  connected  with  the 
Lost  Tribes  of  Israel,  a  theme  which  has  engaged 
the  attention  of  many  scholars,  at  various  times  all 
over  the  world. 

He  had  read  in  recent  histories  of  Hindustan  new 
accounts  of  the  Jews  on  the  Malabar  coast ;  he  had 
seen  and  examined  a  fac-simile  of  the  famous  Indian 
edict  engraved  on  a  copper  plate  by  one  of  the 
Malabar  princes  (see  the  only  correct  transcript  and 
rendering  of  the  curious  charter  of  privileges  in 
Dr.  Gustav  Oppert's  article  in  Semitic  Studies  in  Mem- 
ory  of  Alexander  Kohut,  Berlin,  1897,  pp.  396-419  and 
the  bibliographic  notes  thereto  by  the  present 
writer,  pp.  420-34,  613  ),  setting  forth  the  rights 
granted  to  the  Jews,  ca  379  C.  E-;  and  he  was  so 
impressed  by  what  he  had  read  that  he  was  eager 
to  learn  more  details  pertaining  to  their  history  and 
chronology.  Accordingly  he  set  to  work  and  ad 
dressed  a  long  literary  epistle  of  more  than  70  pages 
in  quarto  to  Sir  William  Jones,  which  was  sent  to 
Calcutta  soon  after  it  was  written,  bearing  the  date 
of  January  18th,  1794,  and  was  destined  never  to 


22 


reach  the  hands  of  Sir  William  Jones,  for  that  emi 
nent  scholar  died  April  2/th,  1794. 

In  his  Diary  /Jan.  25,  1794:  vol.  iii.,  p.  514)  he  has 
jotted  down  the  following  modest  note  :  "Writing  a 
Letter  to  Sir  Wm.  Jones  at  Calcutta  in  Bengal,  Pres 
ident  of  the  Society  there,  request8  him  to  pro 
cure  me  an  Extract  of  the  patriarchal  ages  from  the 
Heb.  Pentateuch  with  the  Jews  of  the  X.  Tribes  at 
Cochin  on  Malabar  Coast."  This  is  his  way  of  re 
ferring  to  an  epistle  whose  proportions  were  almost 
monographic.  It  is  curious  to  observe  how  naive 
and  childlike  was  his  faith  in  the  reports  and  fancies 
of  travellers  and  adventurers.  His  veneration  for 
traditional  evidence  was  profound.  To  substantiate 
his  argument  as  to  the  possibility  of  discovering 
fragments  of  Biblical  Books  in  MS  among  the  Jews 
in  Cochin,  jhe  adds  that  "St.  Thomas  found  a  He 
brew  damsel  singing  Hebrew  Psalms  at  the  court 
of  an  Indian  prince,  at  Cranganore,  near  Cochin/' 
He  desired  that  a  more  thorough  and  effectual 
search  should  be  made  after  the  lost  tribes ;  as, 
from  the  prophecies  which  he  always  had  in  mind, 
he  had  no  doubt  of  their  future  re-  gathering  and 
of  the  re-establishment  of  the  Twelve  Tribes 
in  Palestine*  "Every  part  of  the  terraqueous  globe," 
says  this  early  American  Zionist,  "  has  been  so 
thoroughly  travelled  and  examined,  that  we  know 
they  are  not  to  be  found  in  Europe,  Africa,  America, 
nor  in  any  part  of  Asia  unless  upon  the  territory 
between  the  Caspian  Sea  and  the  empire  of  China, 
and  north  of  India  and  Persia  :  unless,  perhaps,  on 
the  extensive  territory  between  Persepolis  and  the 
Indus.  I  have  long  wished  to  have  this  territory, 
especially  from  the  Caspian  eastward  and  north  of 
India  and  Tibet,  travelled  by  some  persons  of  He 
brew  literature  and  of  sagacious  discernment  of 
national  character  who  may  discover  such  national 


*  3 

distinguishing  traits,  as  you  Sir  [William  Jones], 
have  in  the  Afghans;  who,  from  your  account,  I 
doubt  not  are  of  Hebrew  original,  and  of  the  Ten 
Tribes.  .  .  ."  (See  the  quotations  in  Holmes,  pp. 
325-338.) 

It  is  plain  from  the  above  extract  that  Dr.  Stiles 
was  no  adherent  of  the  theory  of  the  Hebraic  origin 
of  the  American  Indians,  as  were  a  number  of  his 
contemporaries.  Their  opinions  he  has  occasionally 
recorded.  Thus,  on  January  6th,  1770  (vol.  i.,  p.  32., 
he  writes  that  he  has  read  a  letter  from  the  Rev. 
David  Imrie  of  Anandale  in  Scoland,  dated  April 
25,  1754  and  printed  in  1755,  wherein  he  supposes 
that  the  "  Return  &  Conversion  of  the  Jews,  the 
Destruction  of  Antichrist,  and  beginning  of  Mil 
lennium, — will  all  be  accomplished  within  fourty 
years  fr.  1754  or  by  A.  D.  1794.  ...  Mr.  Itnrie  has 
written  a  piece  to  prove  the  Indians  of  America  to 
be  the  Ten  Tribes,  &  sent  it  over  in  MS.  to  be 
communicated  to  the  Indian  Missionaries,  but  not 
to  be  printed."  In  another  place  he  refers  rather 
dubiously  to  an  American  missionary  zealot,  who, 
like  John  Eliot,  the  ''Apostle  of  the  Indians,"  pro 
posed  to  dedicate  his  life  to  the  dusky  aborigines 
of  America,  under  the  delusion  that  they  were 
remnants  of  the  lost  Tribes  of  Israel.  His  own 
theory  as  to  their  origin  may  be  learnt  from  inci 
dental  references  (vol.  i.,  pp.  163,  233).  "The 
American  Indians,"  says  Dr.  Stiles,  "  1  suppose 
sprang  from  the  Canaanites  or  Phoenicians  .  .  .  ." 
and, in  another  connection,  he  writes,  of  "the  prospect 
of  introducing  Christianity  among  the  Kalmuks 
and  Tartars  in  general,  from  whom.  .  .  I  supposed 
the  American  Indians  sprang." 


T4 

His  Semitic  Scholarship  and  his  Jewish  Frtends. 

Dr.  Stiles  was  forty  years  old  when  he  began  to 
study  Hebrew.  In  May,  1767,  he  knew  but  ten  let 
ters  of  the  alphabet;  in  July,  1778,  on  the  occasion  of 
his  inauguration  as  president  of  Yale  College,  he 
delivered  a  Hebrew  oration.  It  is  interesting  to 
note  how  he  acquired  proficiency  in  the  sacred 
tongue: 

"Though  the  Hebrew  language  was  taught  at 
Yale  College  when  Dr.  Stiles  was  a  student,"  says 
his  biographer,  Rev.  Abiel  Holmes  (p.  128  sqo, 
"yet,  not  then  expecting  to  enter  the  ministry,  to 
which  profession  only  this  language  was  thought 
to  be  of  ttse,  he  greatly  neglected  it.  After  his  set 
tlement  in  Newport,  when  he  was  curious  to  inves 
tigate  the  sense  of  some  capital  Hebrew  words,  he 
used  to  find  in  Montanus'  Hebrew  Bible,  first  the 
Latin  word,  then  the  Hebrew  over  it;  then  he  com 
pared  the  same  word  in  different  texts,  and  guessed 
the  sense.  This,  with  the  help  of  Poll  Synopsis,  gave 
him  what  trifling  assistance  he  could  obtain  from 
the  Hebrew.  Some  light,  indeed,  he  derived  from 
the  Jews  at  Newport,  particularly  from  their  Huz- 
zans  or  teachers,  by  asking  them  the  import  of 
those  Hebrew  words  which  stood  for  particular 
passages  in  the  Bible.  Proceeding  in  the  study  of 
the  Scriptures  and  of  divinity,  he  felt  the  necessity 
of  the  knowledge  of  the  Hebrew.  His  frequent 
attendance  at  the  Jews'  synagogue  increased  his 
wish  to  possess  at  least  as  much  of  it  as  to  see  a 
little  into  their  books  and  service.  On  receiving  a 
diploma  from  Edinburgh  [March,  1765],  his  'ambi 
tion  was  touched,  or  rather  a  sense  of  shame  excited, 
that  a  Doctor  of  Divinity  should  not  understand  a 
language,'  so  important  and  so  easily  acquired. 
But  the  delight  of  other  studies,  and  the  drudgery 
of  learning  a  dead  language,  conspired  to  the  con- 


'5 

tinuance  of  his  neglect.  At  length,  however,  In 
May,  1767,  though  advanced  into  the  fortieth  year 
of  his  age,  he  concluded  to  attempt  at  least  to  read 
the  language.  At  this  time  he  knew  but  ten  of  the 
Hebrew  letters.  Having  walked  a  few  times  on  the 
parade  with  the  Huzzan,  who  gave  him  the  true 
power  of  the  letters  and  vowels,  he  began  to  spell 
and  read  the  Psalter.  In  the  five  first  days  he  read 
the  igth  Psalm.  Encouraged  by  his  success,  he 
soon  found  himself  able  to  read  about  ten  pages 
every  morning  after  breakfast.  Not  long  after 
the  Huzzan  {the  Rev.  Isaac  Touro,  who  arrived 
about  1758  from  Jamaica;  cf.  Publications  of  Am.  few- 
Hist,  Sec.,  No.  6,  p.  78;  No.  8,  p.  120;  Literary  Diary , 
vol.  i.,  p.  20;  ii.,  [p,  290,  Editor's  note]  wrote  for 
him  the  alphabet,  with  the  vowels;  gave  him  the 
sounds,  and  heard  him  spell  most  of  the  ist  Psalm. 
He  also  gave  him  the  rabbinical  letters.  This  was 
his  chief  assistance.  When  he  had  read  the  Psal 
ter,  he  began  to  translate  it  into  Latin,  and  finished 
it  in  one  month.  After  translating  a  number  of 
Psalms  into  English,  he  began  to  read  and  translate 
Genesis. 

"During  this  period  he  examined  many  passages 
and  critical,  important  words,  by  comparing  them 
as  used, in  different  places  of  scripture,  *  with  great 
profit  and  satisfaction/  He  also  examined  other 
writings  in  Chaldee  and  Rabbinical  Hebrew,  and 
the  Samaritan  character,  in  which  the  Scripture 
Hebrew  was  originally  written.  .  .  Having  read 
part  of  Genesis,  all  Exodus  and  the  Book  of  Ezra 
for  the  sake  of  the  Chaldee  in  it,  and  much  of  the 
Chaldee  in  Daniel;  on  the  last  of  January,  176*,  he 
began  the  translation  of  Genesis,  and  finished  that 
book  and  Exodus  by  the  i2th  of  May.  Thus  almost 
entirely  unaided,  within  one  year  he  '  unexpect 
edly  accomplished  the  translation  of  the  Psalms, 
Genesis  and  Exodus.' " 


i6 

This  year,  continues  his  biographer,  he  read  much 
Arabic  and  learned  Syriac.  "I  doubt  not,"  writes 
Dr.  Stiles,  "it  is  easier  to  acquire  all  the  oriental 
languages,  especially  the  dialects  of  the  Hebrew, 
than  any  one  modern  European  language.  I  could 
learn  Hebrew,  Arabic,  Syriac,  Armenian  with  less 
pains  than  the  Latin  only.  .  .  If  we  study  the 
Hebrew,  only  with  the  view  to  the  Bible,  it  will 
repay  us.  It  is  a  glorious  language,  and  throws 
more  light  on  the  Old  Testament  than  all  the 
commentators."  Such  a  testimony,  adds  Holmes, 
from  an  accomplished  classical  scholar,  united 
with  his  example,  should  encourage  the  study  of 
the  Oriental  languages,  especially  of  the  Hebrew,  a 
language  of  singular  importance  to  every  theolo 
gian,  but  too  generally  neglected  at  the  present 
day 

On  the  first  day  of  January,  1769,  he  commenced  a 
Literary  Diary,  which  he  continued  at  regular  inter 
vals  until  a  few  days  before  his  death,  May  6th,  1795. 
It  comprises  15  quarto  volumes  in  MS.,  each  con 
sisting  of  above  300  pages.  The  timely  publication 
of  the  greater  part  of  this  Day-Bpok  enables  us  to 
catch  glimpses  of  President  Stiles  as  he  meditates 
upon  the  meanings  of  diffierent  Hebrew  texts  re 
ferring  to  Messianic  prophecy;  it  shows  him  dip 
ping  into  the  intricacies  of  Rashi,  whom  he,  in  com 
mon  with  others  more  learned  in  Rabbinics  than 
he,  erroneously  calls  Jarchi;  he  even  ventures  to 
read  Maimonides  in  the  original;  to  correspond  in 
Hebrew  with  Jews  and  Gentiles,  notably  with  his 
good  friend  Rabbi  Hayyim  Isaac  Carigal,  who  ar 
rived  in  Newport,  direct  from  Palestine,  in  March 
1773;  he  takes  us  into  the  synagogue,  whose  struc 
ture  and  appointments  he  described  minutely  in 
another  volume  of  his  numerous  MS.  records;  he 
discourses  eloquently  on  the  Chosen  People  in  the 


I? 

presence  of  a  Rabbi  in  his  Church,  and  afterwards 
discusses  with  him  and  other  Newport  Jews  the 
Messianic  expectations  of  the  Jews.  He  takes  us, 
through  the  medium  of  a  volume  of  published  trav 
els,  into  the  Dutch  synagogue  in  London;  intro 
duces  us  to  some  otherwise  unknown  Jewish  apos 
tates  at  home  and  abroad;  furnishes  valuable 
statistics  on  the  Jews  in  Newport,  New  Haven, 
Philadelphia  and  Palestine;  quaint  items  about  the 
habits  and  observances  of  his  Jewish  neighbors,  one 
of  whom,  Aaron  Lopez,  his  intimate  friend,  he 
eulogizes  in  no  uncertain  tones  on  the  occasion  of 
his  death  by  drowning; — in  short,  he  has  preserved 
for  us  what  is  most  striking  and  valuable  for  a 
knowledge  of  the  history  of  his  day;  he  has  written 
a  precious  phase  of  Ameiican — and,  incidentally, 
of  American- Jewish  Culturgeschichte. 

To  return  to  his  progress  in  Semitics,  it  is  sig 
nificant  to  note  that  almost  the  very  first  item  in 
his  Diary  records  his  diligence  in  the  study  of  He 
brew.  It  were  useless  to  gather  all  the  passages  in 
that  daily  chronicle  referring  to  his  close  applica 
tion  to  the  reading  of  the  Bible  in  the  original.  He 
made  it  an  invariable  practice  in  1769  to  read  one 
chapter  or  more  in  Hebrew,  and  a  portion  of  Arabic 
every  morning  before  breakfast.  One  of  his  bio 
graphers  tells  us  that  he  read  as  much  as  ten  pages 
in  his  Psalter  each  day,  except,  singularly  enough 

'•'on  the  Lord's  Day'     Holmes,  p.  133;  Willner,  p. 

121;  Diary,  i.,  4.).  On  January  9th,  1769,  he  in 
forms  us  that  his  elder  son,  Ezra,  then  ten  years 
of  age  [born  March  u,  1759],  began  to  study  He 
brew.  On  the  loth  he  commenced  the  Book  of 
Joshua  in  Hebrew  and  read  some  Arabic;  by  the 
3ist  of  the  month  he  had  finished  Joshua:  on 
February  ist  he  read  the  first  chapter  of  Judges 
and  finished  the  whole  by  the  27th;  on  the  fol- 


lowing-  day  he  continues  to  read  I.  Samuel,  which 
he  finished    by   the    ist    of   April.     On  the  3d  we 
find  him  taking   up    the    2d  Book.     His  persever 
ance  and  industry  were  equally  amazing.     As  we 
proceed  to  chronicle  his  doings,   according    to  his 
Diary,  seriatim,    we    shall    have    frequent  occasion 
to  marvel  at  his  energy  and  singleness  of  purpose. 
On  the  1 6th  of  March,  1769,  we  have  the  first  allu 
sion  to  Jews  in  Newport,  though  he  refers  to  them 
copiously   in  other  places  of  his   voluminous  MS. 
papers.     Thus,  for  example,  he  gives  an  exhaustive 
description  of  the  synagogue  in  Newport — built  in 
1762-3,  and  situated  in  the  immediate  neighborhood 
of  Dr.  Stiles'  residence — on  the  occasion  of  its  dedi 
cation,  Friday,  December  2d,   1763  (Diary,  vol  i  ,  pp. 
5,  note  3;  6.);  elsewhere   (cf.    ibid,  p.   11    note  2)  he 
furnishes  us  valuable  statistics  on   the   "Jews  in 
Newport  in  1760."     The  Rev.  Wolf  Willner,  in  his 
interesting  paper  on  "  Ezra  Stiles  and  the  Jews" 
(Publications   of  the   American  Jewish    Historical   Society, 
No.  8,  1900,  pp.  119-26),  has  extracted  from  his  un 
published  papers  much  useful  information  respect 
ing  the  Jews,  from  1747-1762.     His  quotations  need 
not   be   repeated   here.     It   is   noteworthy  that  in 
1755  he  estimated  the  number  of  Jewish  residents 
in  Newport  to  consist  of  15  families.      "They  have 
no  minister,"  he  writes  to  an  English  friend.    "New 
York  has  many  Jews  who  have  Alhazan  from  Am 
sterdam."     His  knowledge  of  Hebrew  must  have 
been  very  scant,  for  he  combines  a   Hebrew   word 
with  the  Arabic  article  Al.    The  Hazzan  mentioned 
is,  no  doubt,  Isaac  Pinto,  the  translator  of  the  Portu 
guese  Prayerbook  into  English  (see  my  notes  in 
Publicatims,  No.  3,  pp.   118-22;  cf.  also  No.  4,  pp.  129, 
227-28),  to  whom  he  refers  in  one  or  two  places  in 
his  Diary  (cf.  vol.  i.,  p.  386;  iii.,  392). 

On  March   i6th,     1769    (vol.  i.,  p.    5),  he  writes: 


'9 

"Examined  with  the  Jew  priest  Jacob's  prophecy  of 
the  scepter  departg.  from  Judah,  .  .  Most  of  this 
day  with  the  Jews."  The  allusion  is  very  likely  to 
the  Rev.  Isaac  Touro,  one  of  his  intimate  friends, 
who  came  to  Newport  about  1758  from  the  West 
Indies.  Under  the  same  date,  Dr.  Stiles  says  that 
he  is  reading  Cotton  Mather's  Magnalia,  written  in 
the  last  decade'  of  the  1 7th  century,  where  Newport 
is  designated  as  "the  common  receptacle  of  the 
convicts  of  Jerusalem  and  the  outcasts  of  the  land" 
(Book  8,  p.  20,  Publications,  No.  6,  1897,  p.  65-66). 
Such  intolerant  and  bigoted  views  do  not  seem  to 
have  influenced  Dr.  Stiles  in  the  least  in  his  atti 
tude  toward  ''the  elect  harbingers  of  God." — On 
the  1 8th  he  states  that  he  visited  the  synagogue  in 
company  with  a  Mr.  Austin.  The  Christian  resi 
dents  of  Newport  were  evidently  no  strangers  at 
Jewish  services.  Four  years  later,  on  May  28th, 
1773,  not  only  Dr.  Stiles  attended  divine  worship,  in 
celebration  of  the  Shabuoth  festival,  but  a  number  of 
state  dignitaries  as  well.  ''The  synagogue  was  decor 
ated  with  Flowers,etc.,"  writes  he  (vol.  I,  p.  377;  see 
infra,  the  chapter  on  " Rabbi  Hayyitn  Isaac  Carigal 
and  Ezra  Stiles");  "About  the  time  the  Rabbi  began 
Sermon  which  was  a  few  minutes  before  Xh  three 
of  the  Commissioners  came  in,  viz.,  Gov. Wanton  & 
Judge  Oliver  and  afterwards  Judge  Auchmuty  and 
were  seated  in  the  Seat  of  the  Parnass  or  President 
of  the  Synagogue."  The  Parnass  was  Aaron  Lopez, 
Merchant  in  that  city,  and  universally  beloved  for 
his  benevolence.  This  is  a  striking  instance  of  the 
cordial  relations  existing  between  Jews  and  non- 
Jews  in  New  England.  Such  intimacies  are  only 
recorded  in  the  chronicles  of  the  Jews  of  Surinam 
in  the  XVIIIth  century.  We  have  preserved,  to  this 
day,  a  number  of  published  and  unpublished  poems, 
by  Jews,  in  Hebrew  and  Hollandish,  in  praise  of 


20 


their  governors  and  other  high  officials,  whose 
almost  uniform  kindness  towards  the  Jews  is  a 
matter  of  history.  (See  my  notes  in  Publications,  No. 
3,  1895,  pp.  127-31;  in  the  Revue  des  Etudes  Juives, 
vol.  xxxi,  pp.  293-7;  and  in  Simon  Wolf's  American 
Jew  as  Patriot  Soldier  and  Citizen,  Philadelphia,  1895, 
pp.  471-2).  Samuel  Nassy,  called  the  "Citizens' 
Captain,"  was  candidate  for  the  governorship  of  the 
colony  of  Surinam  in  the  last  half  of  the  XVIIth 
century;  a  number  of  others  held  important  com 
missions  in  the  army; — and  so  catholic  was  the 
intercourse  between  Jew  and  Gentile,  that  two 
Christian  friends  of  the  Jews  wrote  eulogistic  verses 
in  honor  of  the  centenary  of  their  synagogue  in 
1785.  These  Dutch  poems  were  reprinted  by  the 
present  writer  in  the  Menorah,  Sept.  1895,  vol.  xix, 
pp.  149-52.  As  a  further  instance  of  good  will 
toward  the  Jews  on  the  part  of  the  Hollandish 
Government,  it  is  significant  that  in  July,  1835, 
Prince  William  Frederick  Henry  had  put  the  first 
stroke  to  the  new  synagogue  in  Paramaribo,  con 
secrated  in  1836.  (cf.  Publications,  No.  4,  1896,  p.  7.) 
Such  amenities  are,  unfortunately,  all  too  rare  in 
the  tragic  history  of  the  Jews,  and  it  is  well  to 
record  them  when  we  can. 

But  let  us  return  to  the  Diary: 

On  the  22d  of  March  he  writes:  "  In  Even8  heard 
book  of  Esther  read  out  in  synagogue;  then,  the 
followingday:  "ReadMagnalia.  Purim today."  This 
sounds  almost  grim,  though  the  mention  of  Cotton 
Mather's  book  in  connection  with  the  Jewish  Festi 
val  is  purely  accidental.  On  the  28th,  he  addressed 
a  communication  to  Rev.  Mr.  Whittelsey,  "on  the 
Import  of  nw  and  the  Trinity  of  the  Zohar."  April 
ist  finds  him  conversing  with  a  "  Romish  priest," 
and  writing  a  letter  to  Dr.  Francis  Alison,  D.D.,  of 
Philadelphia,  "upon  the  plurality  of  Elohim  in 


21 


Jehovah,  and  the  rabbinical  Trinity  in  the  Zohar." 
Professor  Dexter  (vol.  I,  p.  7)  points  out  that  Dr. 
Stiles  believed  the  Zohar  to  have  been  composed  in 
the  2d  century.  An  item  on  the  same  subject, 
jotted  down  three  years  later,  Oct.  29,  1772  (vol.  I, 
p.  298),  is  worth  quoting1:  "This  day  I  received 
from  London  the  Zohar,  a  Hebrew  Folio  Volume  of 
800  or  770  pages,  Sultzbac  Edit.  1684,  and  published 
at  Nuremberg.  It  is  a  mystic  or  cabbalistic  Com 
mentary  upon  the  Pcntctcuch  [sic !]  by  Rabbi  Simeon 
Ben  Jochai  .  .  .  ."  Altogether  he  was  deeply  inter 
ested  in  "  transcendental  lore, "  chiefly  because  of 
his  speculations  upon  the  coming  of  the  Messiah — 
a  subject  which  he  loved  to  discuss  at  great  length 
with  the  Rabbis  whom  he  knew  in  later  years.  His 
computations  on  the  prophecies  of  aniel  concern 
ing  the  Millenium  are  given  at  length  by  Holmes 
(pp.  137-39)  and  a  number  of  passages  in  the  Diary 
would  seem  to  indicate  that  these  vague  prophetic 
forecasts  and  mathematical  puzzles  in  the  Bible 
gave  him  no  little  concern. 

He  continued  his  daily  readings  in  the  Hebrew 
Bible  and  devoted  considerable  time  to  Arabic. 
He  already  copied,  writes  Holmes  (p.  133),  "Eutychii 
Origines  Ecclesiae  Alexandrinae,"  in  the  Arabic 
letter,  and  translated  it  from  the  original  (cf. 
Diary,  vol.  I,  p.  21.)  This  copy,  in  Arabic,  beauti 
fully  written,  and  the  translation  as  well,  are  pre 
served  in  a  manuscript  volume,  devoted  to  Hebrew 
and  Arabic,  still  extant  in  the  University  Library. 
He  now  "learned  somewhat  of  tL<5  Syriac,  and  dipt 
into  Persic,  Coptic,  and  the  other  oriental  lan 
guages."  On  the  nth  of  April  he  copied  and  trans 
lated  the  thirteen  Articles  of  the  Jewish  Creed 
(Diary,  p.  8);  by  the  2Qth  he  had  finished  the  second 
Book  of  Samuel  in  Hebrew;  and  on  the  3oth  he  has 
the  following  entry : 


22 

"Read  Instit.  of  Sanhedrim  in  Ainsworth  on 
Pentateuch ;  and  Rabbi  Judah  Monis's  Discourses 
at  his  Baptism  in  1722"  (p.  10).  Concerning  the 
latter  he  gives  us  this  information,  in  a  note  penned 
four  years  later  Dec.  2d,  1773  (vol.  I,  p.  423;  cf.  also 
p.  620,  Oct.  3,  1775):  "Mr.  Levi,  the  Xtian  Jew  aet. 
60  circa,  told  me  he  went  to  School  when  a  Boy  to 
Rabbi  Judah  Monis  who  1722  renounced  Judaism 
became  a  Christian,  and  was  made  Hebrew  Profes 
sor  at  Harvard  College  Cambridge.  Mr.  Levi  says 
Mr.  Monis  was  an  Italian,  he  thinks  a  Venetian  Jew 
was  truly  a  Rabbi  and  a  learned  Man." 

Of  Levi,  or  as  he  is  elsewhere  called,  Levy  (Nov. 
30,  1773; /.  <0>  nothing  is  known  beyond  the  mere 
fact  that  he  was  "  a  London  Jew  Convert  to  Xtian- 
ity."  Judah  Monis,  M.A.,  (1683-1764)  was  the  first 
instructor  in  Hebrew  at  Harvard  University,  who 
was  baptized  at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  March  27,  1772, 
preparatory  to  his  call  to  office.  On  that  occasion, 
a  Discourse  was  delivered  in  the  College  Hall,  by 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Benjamin  Colman,  which  was  pub 
lished  in  a  volume  with  three  Discourses  by  Monis 
himself,  entitled  respectively  :  The  Truth,  the  Whole 
Truth,  and  Nothing  but  the  Truth,  I2mo,  Brston,  1722. 
Copies  of  this  rare  tract  are  still  extant;  one  is  in 
the  collection  of  the  American  Jewish  Historical 
Society.  For  fuller  particulars  concerning  this 
early  American  convert  and  Hebraist,  author  of  the 
first  American  Hebrew  Grammar  (Boston,  1735),  I 
may  be  permitted  to  refer  to  my  articles  in  Publica 
tions  ,  No.  3,  pp.  112-14;  in  The  American  Journal  of 
Semitic  Languages  and  Literatures,  Chicago,  July,  1898, 
vol.  xtv,  pp.  217-26;  vol.  xv,  Oct.  1898,  pp.  56  et  seq., 
where  accurate  titles  and  copious  extracts  and  re 
ferences  are  given.  Fac-similes  of  the  Discourse  (two) 
are  to  be  found  in  an  article  by  the  Rev.  Louis 
Meyer,  himstlf  a  Jewish  Christian,  entitled  "The 


23 

First  Jewish  Christian  in  North  America — Judah 
Monis,"  reprinted  from  the  missionary  quarterly, 
The  Jewish  Era  (Chicago,  1900),  p.  5.  There  are  a 
number  of  other  references  to  Jewish  converts  in 
the  Diary  which  we  shall  mention  in  the  sequel. 
On  the  ist  of  May,  Dr.  Stiles  began  the  first  Book 
of  Kings  in  Hebrew.  On  the  iQth  he  makes  the  fol 
lowing  interesting  statement :  "This  Evening  went 
to  the  Synagogue  and  saw  two  Copies  of  the  Law 
deposited  there.  One  a  new  Vellum  Roll  given  by 
Mr.  Lopez  £40  ster.  The  other  a  present  from  the 
Portuguese  Synagogue  in  London.  Both  with  Silver 
Tops  and  bells  washed  with  Gold.  They  have  now 
Six  Vellum  Rolls  of  the  Law.  There  are  now  in 
Town  about  Twenty-five  Families  of  Jews"  [vol.  I, 
p.  II;  see  also  further  below  the  chapter  on  "Statist 
ical  Notes,"  where  the  subject  is  more  exhaustively 
treated.]  Under  date  of  July  26th,  we  read  this 
curious  item:  "Mr.  Treat  [Rev.  Joseph  Treat  of 
New  York;  see  Diary,  vol.  I,  p.  14,  note  2]  tells  me 
that  the  Jews  in  New  York  expected  the  Messiah 
1768,  and  are  greatly  disappointed.  That  this  ex 
pect"1  was  excited  by  some  comput*  on  the  prophetic 
numbers  by  the  Rabbins  of  the  present  day;  that 
two  Jews  from  Constaninople  visited  New  York 
last  year"  [p.  17].  To  this  absorbing  theme  of 
Messianic  expectations  he  returns  again  and  again 
ia  his  learned  discussions  with  Rabbis  and  laymen. 
The  very  next  quotable  entry  is  on  this  topic,  and  it 
is  curious  to  note  the  allusion  to  the  customs  and 
usages  of  the  Newport  Jews  in  support  of  their 
belief  in  the  advent  of  the  Messiah: 

"This  day"  [August  10,  p.  19],  says  he,  "one  of 
the  Jews  shewed  me  a  computation  of  one  of  the 
present  Rabbins  of  Germany:  wherein  lie  makes 
Time,  Times,  and  half  to  denote  the  space  from  the 
last  Destructn  of  the  Temple  to  its  Restora  and 


Return  of  xii  Tribes.  Time  he  calls  'Seventy 
Semitots',  or  490  years,  Times  980,  half  245,  total 
1715  years,  ending,  he  says,  A.  D.  1783,  when  the 
Messias  is  expected.  N.B.  The  Jews  are  wont  in 
Thunder  Storms  to  set  open  all  their  Doors  and 
Windows  for  the  coming  of  Messias.  Last  Hail 
Storm,  31  July,  when  Thunder,  Rain  and  Hail  were 
amazingly  violent,  the  Jews  in  Newport  threw 
open  Doors,  Windows,  and  employed  themselves  in 
Singing  and  repeating  Prayers,  etc.,  for  meeting 
Messias." 

On  the  I3th  of  the  month  he  remembers  the 
''Anniversary  of  Destruction  of  second  Temple  cele 
brated  at  the  Synagogue";  on  the  2ist  he  "Exam 
ined  with  Mr.  [Isaac]  Touro  an  hebrew  Commentary 
on  'the  scepter  shall  not  depart  from  Judah,  etc.' 
but,"  he  adds,  "without  Satisfaction  .  .  .  ."  This  is 
the  first  nominal  mention  of  the  Rev.  Isaac  Touro 
"the  priest  of  the  Newport  Hebrews,"  as  Professor 
Dexter,  following  the  diarist,  calls  him.  From 
1758  until  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolutionary  War 
he  was  Hazzan  of  the  Portuguese  Synagogue,  and 
died  in  Jamaica,  in  December,  1782.  See  Mason's 
Reminiscences  of  Newport,  pp.  61-64;  Rhode  Island  His 
torical  Magazine,  vol.  VI,  p.  loo;  Kohler's  ed.  of 
Daly's  Scttl.  of  the  Jews  in  N.  America,  N.  Y.,  1893, 
p.  85;  Publications  of  the  Am.  Jtw.  Hist.  Soc.,  no.  6, 
1897,  pp.  78,  139;  Frankel's  Monatsschrift,  vol.  IV, 
1855,  where  the  first  copy  of  his  epitaph  is  given. 

His  Hebrew  studies  continued  at  regular  intervals. 
By  the  I9th  of  September,  1769,  he  had  finished 
translating  the  Book  of  Isaiah,  and  states  in  his 
Diary:  "  I  have  read  the  Hebrew  Bible  thus  far  in 
course  (p.  24)."  On  the  22od  of  November  he  had 
finished  Jeremiah  and  the  following  day  was  deep 
in  Ezekiel.  On  December  roth  he  has  this  touching 
entry  in  his  Day- Book:  "Read  three  chapters  in 


Ezekiel  in  the  Hebrew  Bible  this  day,  which  is  my 
Birth  day,  being  now  by  the  patience  of  a  merciful 
Gd.fourty-two  years  old  "  (see  Prof.  Dexter's  note 
on  p.  29).  It  retrains  to  be  recorded  for  that  year 
that  Dr.  Stiles  had  visited  the  Synagogue  on  New 
Year's  Day,  which  occurred  on  October  2nd  (cf. 
p.  25). 

On  January  I2th,  1770,  he  writes:  "Went  to  the 
Synagogue  this  Evening  and  heard  a  Son  of 
Mr  Moses  Lopez  deceased,*  JEt.  13,  read  the  Evening 
Service,  Mr  Tauro  the  Chuzan  present.  It  is  the 
Custom  in  the  foreign  Synagogues  to  initiate  Boys 
^Et.  13,  thus  to  read  publicly.  This  is  the  first 
Instance  in  the  Synagogue  at  Newport." 

We  may  rely  upon  the  accuracy  of  this  interest 
ing  statement,  as  Dr.  Stiles  was  too  keen  an  observer 
and  too  careful  a  chronicler  to  err  in  the  most  trivial 
matter.  The  custom  of  a  Bar-Mitzvah  celebrant 
chanting  the  weekly  portion  is  characterized  as 
foreign,  and  the  diarist  adds  that  this  was  the  first 
public  reading  of  the  Law  by  one  who  had  attained 
his  religious  majority,  in  Newport.  It  is  a  surpris 
ing  fact  in  view  of  the  otherwise  strict  traditionalism 
of  the  early  Portuguese  Jewish  settlers.  Moses 
Lopez,  a  nephew  of  Aaron,  was  naturalized  either 
in  1740  or  1741,  in  New  York,  together  with  a  num 
ber  of  others,  some  of  whom  afterwards  drifted  to 
New  England  (cf.  Publications,  No.  5,  p.  116).  He 
appears  to  have  been  the  first  of  the  Lopez  family 
to  reach  Newport,  and  was  exempted  in  1750  by 
special  Act  of  the  Assembly  from  personal  tax  in 
recognition  of  his  past  and  prospective  services  in 
translating  letters  and  papers  from  Spanish  into 

*Cf.  Daly,  ed.  Kohler  pp  80- 1 ;  89;  Publications  of  the 
American  Jewish  Historical  Society,  No.  i,  o.  124;  No  2  pp. 
102,  105;  No.  3,  p.  132;  No,  5,  p  116;  No.  6  pp.  70,  72,  74,  102, 
138;  No.  8,  p  123.  He  is  not  identical  with  the  Moses  Lopez 
who,  in  1806,  edited  the  first  American  Jewish  Calendar. 


36 

English  for  the  use  of  the  Government  (see  Bartlett's 
Records  of  the  Colony  of  Rhode  Island,  vol.  v.,  pp.  307-8; 
Kohler  in  Publications,  No.  6,  1897,  p.  72).  Among 
the  "  Names  of  Redwood  Library  Compa,"  incor 
porated  in  Newport,  August  29,  1747,  we  find 
recorded,  in  Dr.  Stiles'  notes,  those  of  "  Abm  Hart 
and  Moses  Lopez  "  (cf.  Willner,  in  Publications,  No. 
8,  p.  123).  Jacob  R.  Rivera,  frequently  mentioned 
in  the  Diary,  was  one  of  the  stockholders  of  the 
Library  in  1758  (see  Kohler,  I.e.,  p.  74-5).  On  the 
13th  of  the  month  he  again  visited  the  Synagogue 
(Diary,  p.  32).  On  FebruarySth  we  read  this  curious 
statement :  "  At  the  Synagogue,  where  upon  asking 
a  little  Jew  Boy  the  use  of  the  strings  at  the  Corner 
of  the  White  Surplice  worn  by  all  Jews  in  their 
Worship : — he  said,  they  kissed  the  strings  three 
times  at  the  Repetition  of  the  great  n»p  [sic]  or 
Hear  o  Israel  the  Ld  our  God  is  one  Lord.  Quere. 
Did  this  originally  denote  acknowleg*  of  Trinity  in 
Unity?" 

In  common  with  other  churchmen  and  theologians, 
Dr.  Stiles  was  fond  of  reading  Christological  mean 
ings  into  the  Hebrew  Bible  and  of  interpreting 
Jewish  customs  and  traditions  according  to  the 
tenets  of  his  faith.  The  threefold  mention  of  the 
name  of  God  in  the  Jewish  confession  of  faith,  called 
the  Sh'ma,  has  given  rise  to  the  belief  that  the  author 
of  that  prayer  was  a  trinitarian.  This  view  has  been 
accepted  by  Schudt,  Eisenmenger,  Wagenseil  and 
other  anti-Jewish  writers  and  by  not  a  few  rene 
gades,  whose  chief  stock  in  trade  was  to  discredit 
their  former  co-religionists.  In  view  of  Dr.  Stiles' 
proficiency  in  Semitics,  the  incorrect  spelling  of  the 
Hebrew  word,  given  above,  must  be  held  to  be  a 
lapsus  calami,  if,  indeed,  it  is  not  a  typographical 
error. 

On  March  1st  he  writes  (pp.  39-40):  "Last  Even- 


27 

ing  I  spent  in  Company  with  Mr.  Tauro  the  Jew 
priest  or  Chuzzan  here.     We  discoursed  on  sundry 
things— on  the  70  Weeks  of  Daniel.     He  said  that 
this  had  puzzled  all  the  Rabbins,  nor  did  any  under 
stand  it — that  it   was  agreed  by  all  that  Daniel's 
whole  Book  was  to  continue  sealed  &  unintelligible 
till  the  Time  of  the  End.     That  however  they  gave 
forth  conjectural  tho'  unsatisfactory  Interpretations; 
as  particuly  of  this  prophecy  that  the  Messiah  or 
anointed  prince  here  was  the  Prince  of  the  Armies 
of  Gog  and  Magog,  who  should  be  cut  off.    I  asked  him 
where  he  found  a  Text  that  favoured  the  Jewish 
Purgatory?  he  replied  there  was  none  in  the  sacred 
Books  that  was  decisive,  but  that  it  was  a  Doctrine 
immemorially  held  and  believed  among  them."  .  .  . 
On  the  10th,  it  being  Purim,  he  again  visited  the 
synagogue   to    hear   the   reading    of   the    Book   of 
Esther.   There  is  no  doubt  that  his  frequent  attend 
ance  there  was  not  so  much  an  evidence  of  friendly 
interest  in  the  Jews  as  a  proof  of  his  zeal  to  famil 
iarize   himself   with   the   correct   pronunciation   of 
Hebrew  and  to  acquire  an  accurate  knowledge  of 
the  Jewish  ritual,  of  which,  some  time   later,  he 
made  a  special  study.      On  the   15th  and   16th  he 
records  the  visit  of  a  Polish  Jew  from  Lissa,  with 
whom  he  conversed  freely  upon  his  favorite  topic, 
the  Advent  of  the  Messiah  :  "  The  Jew  visited  me 
again  to-day.    His  name  is  Abraham  Levi,  at.  44.   ... 
[Here,  unfortunately,  the  editor  has  abridged  what 
seems  to  be  a  description  of  the  visitor's  personality] 
I   shewed   him   the   Computa  made   by   a    german 
Rabbi  placing  the  Appear*  of  the  Messiah  1783.    He 
smiled,  &  said  they  looked  for  him  every  day  — I 
accidentally  sneezed,  &  he  prayed  instantly.  At  sun 
set  he  excused  himself  &  rose  up  &  went  to  my  East 
Study   Window   &    prayed    by    himself:     &    then 
returned  &  sat  down  again  to  Discourse.     He  seems 


to  be  a  man  of  Sobriety,  spake  of  the  Deity  with 
uplifted  hands  &  Eyes  &  with  the  most  profound 
Reverence"  (p.  42). 

On  the  14th  of  April  he  records  that  he  has 
resumed  his  "dayly  reading  a  chapter  in  the  Hebrew 
Bible  and  a  portion  of  Arabic,"  which  practice  had 
been  intermitted  for  nine  days,  according  to  a  mar 
ginal  note  in  the  Diary.  On  the  19th  of  May  he 
finished  reading  the  Book  of  Job  in  Hebrew  p.  (52). 

JEWS   CHARGED  WITH  TORYISM. 

On  May  31st  we  read  :  "Yesterday  the  Merchte  in 
this  T°  met  at  the  Courthouse  &  agreed  to  store 
their  goods  lately  imported — to  remove  the  late 
Resolutions  of  Boston  to  Philada  to  break  off  all 
commerce  with  us,  &  to  engage  the  other  Colonies 
to  desist  Trady  with  us :  because  we  had  violated 
the  salutary  Non-Import11  Agreemt.  An  Instance, 
that  five  or  six  Jews  &  three  or  4  Tories  may  draw 
down  Vengeance  upon  a  Country"  (p.  54). 

Professor  Dexter  explains,  in  a  note,  that  New 
port  traders  had  agreed,  in  concert  with  other 
American  merchants,  to  refrain  from  importing 
British  goods  at  this  time;  consequently,  when  vio 
lations  of  this  agreement  were  reported,  public 
meetings  were  held  in  Boston  (May  18)  and  in  Phila 
delphia  (May  23rd),  at  which  it  was  resolved  to  break 
off  all  dealings  with  Newport  until  its  inhabitants, 
who  had  not  expressed  their  resentment  at  this 
duplicity,  should  have  given  full  satisfaction.  How 
far  Jews  were  implicated  in  this  breach  of  faith  we 
are  not  in  a  position  to  judge.  That  some  of  them 
were  involved  is  evident  from  Dr.  Stiles'  indignant 
reference.  Aaron  Lopez,  Newport's  foremost  mer 
chant,  whom  Dr.  Stiles  eulogizes  so  warmly,  was  a 
notorious  Whig,  and  the  majority  of  his  co-religion 
ists  were  bold  champions  of  the  American  cause. 


29 

It  does  not  seem  plausible,  in  view  of  the  fact  that 
on  the  approach  of  the  British,  at  the  outbreak  of 
the  Revolutionary  War,  most  of  the  Jews,  being  in 
hearty  sympathy  with  the  colonies,  were  compelled 
to  flee  on  the  eve  of  the  occupation  of  Newport  by 
the  enemy — that  any  of  them  could  have  been 
guilty  of  disloyal  acts  even  prior  to  the  commence 
ment  of  hostilities.  The  feeling  against  the  mother- 
country  ran  high  long  before  the  actual  rupture 
took  place,  and  Jews  were  among  the  most  pro 
nounced  opponents  of  her  policy.  If  Aaron  Lopez's 
espousal  of  the  American  cause  almost  wholly 
wrecked  his  business,  nearly  all  of  his  vessels  hav 
ing  been  lost,  it  is  altogether  unlikely  that  he  or  his 
associates  would  have  favored  any  policy  whereby 
commercial  profit  could  accrue  to  England,  either 
directly  or  indirectly.  (See  on  the  loyalty  and  patri 
otism  of  the  Jews  in  Newport,  the  references  in 
Kohler's  article,  Publications  of  the  American  Jewish 
Historical  Society,  No.  6,  1897,  pp.  73-74.) 

In  a  petition  presented  on  behalf  of  Aaron  Lopez 
to  Congress  in  April,  1780.  it  is  pointed  out  that  "the 
character  of  Mr.  Lopez  as  a  friend  to  the  liberties 
and  independence  of  the  United  States  is  clear  and 
unim peached,  as  will  be  testified  by  some  Honor-, 
able  Members  of  this  House  "  (See  Publications,  No. 
2,  pp.  126-7 ;  No.  3,  p.  74.).  Singularly  enough,  how 
ever,  just  he  is  specially  mentioned,  in  a  subsequent 
portion  of  the  Diary  (August  25,  1772  :  vol.  i.,  p.  270), 
as  one  of  the  merchants  of  Newport  who  did  not 
join  the  boycott  against  England,  thereby  arousing 
the  ire  of  other  cities  of  New  England.  "  In  the 
late  Combinations  of  the  American  merchants 
against  Importations  &c.  and  against  the  exorbitant 
Fees  of  the  Customhouses — some  Merchants  kept 
themselves  from  the  Combinations.  Mr.  Aaron 
Lopez  a  Jew  Merchant  in  this  Town  is  one.  For 


3° 

this  the  Collector  &c.  shew  him  all  Lenity  and 
favor.  He  has  above  twenty  Sail  of  Vessels  [Daly, 
p.  78,  mentions  30  ,  and  his  Captains  are  all  exempted 
from  Swearing  at  the  Customhouse,  and  make  their 
entries  &c.  without  Oath.  But  the  Oath  is  strictly 
exacted  of  all  who  were  concerned  in  the  Non- 
Importation  Agreement.  This  I  was  told  yesterday 
by  one  of  Mr.  Lopez's  Captains  long  in  his  Employ. 
The  Man  o'  War  yesterday  seized  his  Vessel  and 
Wines  by  Accident  and  Folly  of  the  people  who  in 
5  row  Boats  were  endeavoring  the  night  before  to 
run  41  Quarter  Casks  of  Wine.  The  Vessel  and 
Wines  will  be  condemned — but  it  is  said  they  will 
be  set  up  at  a  Trifle  and  Lopez  will  bid  them  off  at 
far  less  than  Duties :  so  that  he  shall  make  his  Voy 
age  good.  Favor  and  Partiality  !  And  yet  these 
Customhouse  Men  are  perpetually  clamoring  on 

cheating  the  King  of  his  Revenue "As  Dr. 

Stiles  was  an  intimate  friend  of  Aaron  Lopez,  refer 
ring  to  him  in  his  graceful  obituary  notice  (June 
8th,  1782;  vol.  iii.,  pp.  24-25;  see  infra,  the  chapter 
on  Miscellaneous  Notes,  where  the  full  quotation  is 
given),  as  "  a  Merchant  of  the  first  Eminence ;  for 
Honor  &  Extent  of  Commerce  probably  surpassed 
by  no  Merch1  in  America  ";  who  did  business  "  with 
the  greatest  Ease  &  Clearness  ";  who  was  "  without 
a  single  Enemy  &  the  most  universally  beloved 
....  of  any  man  "  he  ever  knew, — it  is  difficult  to 
understand  that  he  could  have  been  engaged  in  any 
enterprise  not  thoroughly  honest,  particularly  as  the 
integrity  of  his  fellow-citizens  was  at  stake  in  the 
principle  involved.  That  he  should  have  connived 
to  enrich  himself  at  the  cost  of  his  honor  was  some 
thing  so  utterly  unworthy  of  the  character  of  the 
man  that  we  refuse  to  entertain  it  for  a  moment. 
Judge  Daly  (Settlement  of  the  Jews  in  North  America, 
ed.  Kohler,  pp  79-80)  attributes  the  success  of  New- 


port  to  the  remarkable  capacity  and  industry  of  the 
Jews,  and,  more  particularly,  to  the  confidence 
inspired  by  their  scrupulous  integrity  and  delicate 
sense  of  mercantile  honor,  a  touching  incident  of 
which  he  cites  in  speaking  of  Jacob  Rodrigues 
Rivera. 

What  Dr.  Stiles  reports  a  few  pages  later,  in  his 
Diary,  under  date  of  August  23rd,  is  none  the  less 
puzzling,  and  it  seems  almost  incredible  that  a 
man,  who  was  in  all  things  so  explicit  and  accurate 
as  Dr.  Stiles,  should  have  chronicled  a  piece  of 
idle  rumor  without  the  desire  to  investigate  its 
origin.  This  curious  bit  of  information  reads  as 
follows  (p.  65) :  "  Capt.  Wm  Augustus  Peck  [of  Lon 
don]  ....  tells  me  there  is  a  secret  Intelligence 
office  in  London  in  street  where  the  Jews  live.  It 
has  subsisted  about  four  years  &  has  thirty  clerks : 
it  is  supported  by  the  Ministry:  and  has  settled  a 
correspondence  in  all  parts  of  America— has  four 
Correspond15  in  Boston,  &  two  in  Newport,  one  of 
which  is  Mr.  Geo.  Rome  [an  agent  of  British  credit 
ors  of  Newport  houses,  who  fled  from  the  colony 
late  in  1774,  being  a  violent  Tory  ;  see  Prof.  Dexter's 
note,  Diary,  p.  65]  Mercht.  to  each  of  whom  the 
Ministry  exhibits  Stipends.  As  it  appears  in  London, 
it  is  entirely  a  Jew  affair— a  Jew  Compting  House,  &  is 
unknown  in  London,  Capt.  Peck  sailed  to  London 
in  a  Vessel  of  the  Jews  &  by  this  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  Jews  there,  dined  with  sundry,  and  not  being 
strong  for  American  rights,  they  used  to  open  before 
him ;  in  compa  he  heard  one  Mr  Clark  I  think  speak 
of  their  secret  Intelligence  office — &  upon  Peck's 
questioning,  &c.  he  colored  up  and  diverted  the  Dis 
course.  Capt.  Peck  says,  that  this  office  boasted  of 
having  Intelligence  of  every  Occurrence  of  any 
consequence  in  America.  ..."  This  item,  if  true, 
is  worthy  of  more  than  a  passing  notice.  It  is  sig- 


3* 

nificant  of  the  attitude  of  British  Jews  towards  the 
struggle  for  freedom  in  the  American  colonies. 
'That  there  was  a  tacit  understanding  between  the 
Jews  of  New  England  and  those  of  the  mother- 
country  may  be  possible,  but  not  very  probable  in 
view  of  the  silence  of  history  on  the  subject.  That 
British  Jews  should  have  been  zealous  Tories  is  not 
at  all  extraordinary;  it  would  be  remarkable,  indeed, 
had  they  been  otherwise  inclined;  but  that  their 
coreligionists  in  the  New  World  should  have  been 
purveyors  of  secret  information  favorable  to  the 
British  cause  is  hardly  credible,  if  we  consider  the 
sacrifices  many  of  them  have  made  in  behalf  of  the 
land  of  their  adoption.  The  existence  cf  a  Secret 
Intelligence  Bureau  in  the  Jewish  Quarter  of  Lon 
don,  directed  by  Jews,  and  supported  by  the  moral 
and  material  sympathy  of  the  Jews  in  America,  is 
further  discredited  by  a  letter,  addressed  to  Dr. 
Stiles,  February  26-27th,  1772,  from  London,  by 
Henry  Marchant,  in  whose  Travels  Jews  figure  very 
prominently.  A  disclaimer  coming  from  such  a 
distinguished  source  is  not  to  be  despised  :  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Continental  Congress,  an  eminent 
lawyer  of  Newport,  born  in  1741,  and  died  in  1796. 
In  or  about  1771  he  was  appointed  Attorney-General 
of  the  Colony  and  also  served  in  the  capacity  of 
Agent  at  the  Court  of  Great  Britain  (cf.  Prof.  Dex 
ter  's  note  in  vol.  i.,  p.  117,  of  the  Diary].  He  had  the 
entire  confidence  of  Dr.  Stiles,  whose  diligent  cor 
respondent  he  appears  to  have  been,  and  it  is  evi 
dent,  seeing  that  the  subject  is  not  referred  to  again 
in  the  Day-Book,  that  Dr.  Stiles  deemed  his  testi 
mony,  concerning  the  Secret  Intelligence  Bureau  in 
London,  quite  conclusive.  "  I  think  you  must  be 
mistaken,"  writes  Mr.  Marchant  (Diary,  p.  224,  note), 
"  about  the  ministerial  Jew-store,  30  Clerks  em 
ployed,  &c.,  if  you  meant  literally  so.  They  have 


33 

intelligences  fiom  secret  Quarters  undoubtedly,  but 
with  such  a  Staff  of  Officers,  Dependants,  and  growl 
ing  Expectants,  there  can  be  no  great  Occasion  of  a 
particular  Set  of  Men  for  that  Purpose.  .  .  ."  Dr. 
Stiles  had,  presumably,  written  to  Mr.  Marchant,  to 
inquire  more  closely  into  the  matter,  and  while  the 
reply  does  not  entirely  disprove  the  existence  of  such 
an  alliance,  it  offers  no  corroborative  evidence  either, 
On  the  other  hand,  it  does  seem  as  if  the  Jews  of 
Newport  had  sympathized  with  the  enemy  to  some 
extent  from  one  isolated  statement  in  the  Diary 
which  has  very  nearly  escaped  my  attention.  On 
March  2oth,  1777  (vol.  ii .,  p.  151)  we  read  the  follow 
ing  important  entry :  "  It  is  very  Sickly  both  in  the 
Army  &  among  the  Inhab.  of  Newport.  Lordsdy 
[Lord's  Day  ?]  before  last  five  of  the  Inhab.  were 
buried.  The  Jews  are  very  officious  as  Informing 
against  the  Inhabitants — who  are  one  &  another 
frequently  taken  up  &  put  in  Goal  ....  So  that  the 
Inhab.  are  cautious  &  fearful  of  one  another.  .  .  ." 
Then  Dr.  Stiles  goes  on  to  describe  the  rigorous 
treatment  of  several  American  sympathizers  by  the 
Tories  in  town  :  A  laboring  man,  who  refused  to 
turn  out  on  an  alarm  "  was  ordered  1000  Lashes — 
received  200  and  was  remanded  to  Goal.  Every 
psuasive  has  been  used  to  get  him  to  enlist,  to  avoid 
the  Cruelty  of  the  remaing  800  stripes— but  he  reso 
lutely  refuses  every  offer,  &  says  he  will  lie  and  die 
there  before  he  will  joyn  them.  .  .  ."  It  must  have 
required  no  small  amount  of  courage,  in  the  face  of 
such  penalties,  to  be  loyal  to  the  American  cause. 
That  Jews  there  were,  who  remained  Tories  in  the 
great  and  unequal  struggle,  is  not  a  whit  surprising. 
The  colonists  were  never  unanimous  in  their  polit 
ical  creed,  and,  surely,  what  was  the  privilege  of 
the  native  American  was  likewise  the  unquestioned 
privilege  of  the  alien  Jew,  once  he  has  become  a 


34 

citizen  of  the  commonwealth.  But  that  some  among 
them  should  have  lacked  the  courage  of  their  con 
victions  and,  in  espousing  the  Tory  cause  should 
have  turned  informers,  as  Dr.  Stiles  strongly  insin 
uates,  is  hard  to  believe ;  nay,  it  is  absolutely  false. 
The  patriotism  and  spirit  of  self  sacrifice  which  the 
Jews  have  shown  in  the  Revolutionary  War  are 
beyond  suspicion.  The  Sheftalls,  Salvadors  and 
Haym  Solomons  will,  in  time,  become  illustrious  in 
American  history,  as  they  are  recorded  for  righteous 
ness  in  Jewish  annals;  and  Newport,  too,  has  fur 
nished  her  quota  of  martyrs  and  heroes,  professing 
the  faith  of  Israel,  who  have  championed  the  rights 
of  the  colonists  with  fiery  word  and  gleaming  sword. 
Aaron  Lopez,  owner  of  thirty  vessels  engaged  in 
European  and  West  India  trade  and  the  whale  fish 
eries  (cf.  Daly,  p.  78;  Kohler  in  Publ.  Am.  Jew.  Hist. 
Soc.,  No.  6,  p.  73) — whose  enterprise  extended  to  the 
shores  of  the  Falkland  Islands,  and  whose  extensive 
interests  in  Newport  were  jeopardized  by  his  attach 
ment  to  the  American  cause,  did  not  turn  Tory 
when  misfortune  threatened  to  overwhelm  him. 
He  paid  the  penalty  of  losing  nearly  all  he  had  for 
his  fealty  to  the  colonies  (cf.  Arnold,  History  of 
Rhode  Island,  vol.  ii.,  p.  447 ;  Publications,  op.  cit.  p. 
74.)  The  names  of  two  Newport  Jews  at  least  have 
been  preserved  as  serving  in  the  Army  of  the  Revo 
lution  :  Aaron  Isaacs  and  Salomon  Rophe.  There 
must  have  been  a  number  of  others  enlisted  to  fight 
for  their  country,  but,  unfortunately,  no  record  of 
them  is  extant,  as  all  the  official  registers  of  New 
port  were  destroyed  on  the  approach  of  the  British, 
"  and  the  long  occupation  of  Newport  made  Ameri 
can  service  impracticable."  The  Rev.  Frederick 
Dennison,  in  an  address  on  the  Jews  of  Newport 
(op.  cit.,  p.  73-4),  admits  that  the  Jews  were  liberal 
supporters  of  the  patriot  cause,  and  adds  that  "  in 


35 

some  cases  they  served  in  the  Continental  armies.'' 
Dr.  Stiles  has  preserved  the  name  of  one  of  these 
Jewish  patriots,  Sol  Pinto,  of  New  Haven,  who  was 
among  those  captured  by  the  British  in  that  city 
July  5th  and  6th,  1779  (cf-  Diary,  vol.  ii.  p.  365).    He 
was  one  of   two  brothers,   the   other  being   Jacob 
Pinto,  of  whom   Dr.   Stiles  speaks  as  having  "re 
nounced  Judaism   &  all   Religion  "  (MS.   Itinerary, 
September  I3th,  1772  ;  Diary,  vol.  i.,  p.  283  ;  vol.  iii., 
pp.  107,  109;  see  also,  below,  the  chapter  on  Statis 
tical  Notes],     A  bad  Jew  but  a  good  patriot !     As  to 
the   Tories,  who  were   no   less   patriotic   than  the 
American  loyalists,  the  tragic  end  of  Isaac   Hart,  a 
Jewish  Tory,  in  Newport,  is  an  evidence  of  their 
devotion  to  the  King's  cause.   The  following  account 
of  his  death  is  taken  from  Rivingtons  Gazette,  Decem 
ber   2nd,  1780  (cf.  Publications,   No.  4,   1896,  p.  89): 
"Mr.  Isaac   Hart,  of   Newport,  R.   I.,  formerly  an 
eminent   merchant   and  ever   a   loyal  subject,  was 
inhumanly  fired  upon  and  bayoneted,  wounded  in 
fifteen  parts  of  his  body,  and  beat  with  their  muskets 
in  the  most   shocking  manner  in  the  very  act  of 
imploring  quarter,  and  died  of  his  wounds  a  few 
hours   after,  universally   regretted    by   every   true 
lover  of  his  King  and  country  "  (Publications,  No.  6, 
p.  76).   He  is  mentioned  by  Dr.  Stiles  (Diary,  March 
ist,  1777;  vol.  ii.,  pp.   131,  132,  133)  in  the  "List  of 
Names  of  some  of  the  Inhabitants  left  in  the  Town 
of  Newport  when  it  was  taken  8  Dec.  1776,"  together 
with  a  number  of  other  coreligionists,  who  may 
have  had  Tory  sympathies,  else  they  would,  most 
probably,  have  -fled  on  the  approach  of  the  enemy 
along  with  the  rest.     Those  who  remained  at  New 
port  were :  Nathan  Hart,  Isaac  Elizur,  Isaac  Hart, 
Moses  Satias  (Seixas),  Hyam  Levi,  Moses  Levy  and 
Rev.  Mr.  J.  Tauro  (sic).     Whether  the  Mr.  Jacobs 
cited  in  the  same  list  was  a  Jew  we  have  no  means 


of  ascertaining.  A  Joseph  Jacobs  is  mentioned  in 
another  list  from  the  seventeenth  century,  and  a 
namesake  of  his  figures  as  a  member  of  the  Redwood 
Library  Company  in  1747  (cf.  Publications,  No.  6,  p. 
67;  No.  8,  p,  123).  The  others  quoted  are  likewise 
referred  to  in  some  of  Dr.  Stiles'  unpublished  papers. 
See  Willner  in  Publications,  No.  8,  p.  124;  Diary,  vol. 
i.,  p.  ii,  and  the  chapter  on  Statistical  Notes,  sub 
joined  to  this  paper.  The  diarist  adds  the  names  of 
the  "  Principal  &  Active  Tories  "  in  a  separate  list, 
but  no  mention  is  made  there  of  Jews.  He  himself 
was  an  uncompromising  "Son  of  Liberty."  if  we 
may  judge  from  his  eloquent  and  inspired  utter 
ances,  in  a  letter  addressed  to  the  Rev.  Jn°  Rodgers 
in  New  York,  dated  August  14,  1776,  which  is  full 
of  fervid  enthusiasm  for  the  American  cause.  It  is 
a  noble  literary  effort,  if  nothing  else,  and  I  regret 
that  I  cannot  quote  it  in  full : 

"  How  beautiful  were  the  Hosts  of  Israel  in  the 
view  of  Balaam  ?  and  before  that  how  animating  to 
behold  their  Hosts  in  Actual  Exertion  and  Conflict 
with  Amalek,  especially  while  Moses's  hand  was 
held  up?  Let  our  Hosts  go  forth  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord,  in  our  unquestionably  righteous  Cause  : 
and  at  the  same  time  let  all  the  Moses[es],  Joshuas, 
Aarons,  &  all  the  People  keep  the  hand  of  Prayer 
lift  up  to  God,  till  our  Enemies  shall  be  discomfited, 
and  our  Country  and  the  Chh  of  God,  gloriously 
delivered.  And  then  let  him  have  all  the  glory.  .  .  ." 

The  Moseses,  Joshuas  and  Aarons  did  more  than 
pray ;  they  fought  for  the  land  of  their  adoption 
with  the  sword  as  well  as  the  spirit,  and  History 
has  writ  their  names  in  gold. 

On  the  i6th  of  July,  1770,  we  find  him  delivering 
"a  Short  Speech  in  Chaldee  "  at  the  end  of  a  "  Dia 
logue  in  Chaldee  held  between  three  Bachelors- 
taken  out  of  Daniel,"  which  seems  to  have  been  a 


37 

regular  feature  at  the  Commencement  exercises  of 
Harvard  College  (vol.  i,  p.  59).  On  the  3d  of  August 
he  records  that  he  "  received  a  Letter  written  entirely 
in  Hebrew,  from  William  Olive,  aet  60.  now  living 
in  S°  Kingston,  Narragansett."  We  are  told  that 
this  Hebraist  was  born  in  London,  educated  at 
Halle,  in  Germany,  "in  Hebrew,  but  no  other  of  the 
learned  Languages."  As  to  the  contents  of  this 
rather  unusual  correspondence,  Dr.  Stiles  confesses 
that  "  some  of  it  was  English  Words  only  in  Hebrew 
Letters."  From  this  fact  the  diarist  judges  him  to 
have  been  of  "Jewish  Extract  "  (ibid.,  pp.  60-6 1).  Of 
other  Semitic  scholars,  whose  names  and  doings  are 
chronicled  in  these  pages,  more  will  be  said  later  on. 

CONVERSIONS  OF  JEWS  IN  NEW  ENGLAND  AND 
ELSEWHERE. 

Concerning  Jewish  apostates  in  colonial  times  we 
have  but  scant  information.  From  occasional  refer 
ences  to  be  found  in  the  intimate  correspondence 
of  early  writers,  it  would  seem  as  if  apostasy  were 
not  so  uncommon  among  our  brethren  in  England 
and  America  as  we  might  be  led  to  suppose.  Indeed, 
from  the  few  notices  scattered  throughout  the 
Diary,  we  may  conclude  that  the  conversion  of  a 
Jew  to  Christianity  was  not  such  a  singular  event 
as  to  call  for  special  comment.  To  a  man  of  Dr. 
Stiles'  religious  temperament,  however,  the  fact 
denoted  something  more  than  a  passing  event ;  it 
was,  to  him,  significant  of  the  triumph  of  the  truths 
of  Christianity.  Yet,  his  remarks  on  such  occasions 
were,  invariably,  dignified,  and  even  indifferent. 
He  strove  to  ascertain,  in  each  instance,  particulars 
as  to  the  convert's  origin  and  personality,  and, 
where  materials  were  at  hand,  to  furnish  biograph 
ical  data.  Here  and  there,  owing,  no  doubt,  to 
exigencies  of  space,  the  editor  of  the  Literary  Diary 


ventures  to  abbreviate  the  account  of  some  incident 
which  could  give  us  a  clew  to  the  identity  of  the 
person  of  whom  it  treats.  Sometimes  (as  in  vol.  i.r 
pp.  42  ;  354;  422,  etc.,  etc.)  the  narrative  breaks  off 
in  the  midst  of  an  interesting  description  of  the 
man's  personality,  dress,  habits,  etc.,  which,  judg 
ing  from  the  single  instance  in  the  case  of  his 
friend,  Rabbi  Carigal,  must  have  been  exhaustive 
and  accurate.  Be  this  as  it  may,  we  are  grateful  to 
Prof.  Dexter  for  even  these  fleeting  glimpses  into 
the  lives  of  our  coreligionists  in  New  England,  since 
they  serve  to  verify  and  illustrate  not  a  few  obscure 
phases  of  American  Jewish  history.  One  of  these 
is  the  progress  of  missionary  labors  among  the 
Jews.  A  perusal  of  the  herewith  subjoined  items 
touching  a  few  of  our  brethren,  "gone  wrong,"  will 
convince  the  student  that  the  proposed  "  Catalogue 
of  Jewish  Christians  in  America"  is  not  only  not 
quixotic,  but  has  become  a  desideratum.  The  Rev. 
Louis  Meyer,  a  neophyte  in  the  Christian  Church, 
now  a  Presbyterian  minister  at  Hopkinton,  Iowa, 
has  taken  upon  himself  the  onerous  task  of  prepar 
ing  such  an  Index,  which  will  be  incorporated  in  the 
present  writer's  Bibliotheca  Americana  Judaica.  As  a 
meagre  contribution  toward  a  historical  sketch  of 
Jewish  conversions  in  America,  we  beg  to  offer  the 
following  data: 

INCREASE  MATHER  :  The  Mystery  of  Israel's  Salva 
tion  explained  and  apply ed ;  or  a  Discourse  concerning  the 
general  conversion  of  the  Israelitish  Nation  .  .  .  Being 
the  substance  of  several  Sermons  preached  by  Increase 
Mather  {with  recommendatory  epistles  by  J.  Davenporte, 
W.  G.,  and  W.  H.\  London:  J.  Allen,  1669 — 24  pag. 
1.;  181  pp.  5  1.;  8°  (See  Catalogue  of  the  British 
Museum's  Printed  Books,  s.  v.  "Mather,  Increase.") 
— A  copy  of  this  rare  tract,  on  which  a  separate 
article  could  well  be  written,  is  to  be  found  in  the 
New  York  Public  Library. 


39 


In  this  connection  it  is  curious  to  note  what  the 
Rev.  Increase  Mather  has  to  say  on  the  subject  of 
the  conversion  of  Judah  Monis,  Professor  of  Hebrew 
at  Harvard  College  for  many  decades,  concerning 
whom  we  have  already  spoken  at  length  (see  above 
pp.  22,  23).  We  are  glad  to  be  able  to  reproduce 
his  words,  together  with  two  interesting  facsimiles 
of  tracts  pertaining  to  Monis,  for  which  I  am  in 
debted  to  the  courtesy  of  Rev.  Louis  Meyer. 


Difcourfe 


Had  in  the 


College-Hal/ 

At  Cambridge,  March  27.  I'jz'z, 

Before  the  Baptifm  of 

R.  Judah  Monis. 
By  Benj.Cofaan,V.DM- 

To  which  are  added 

Three  DISCOURSES 

Written  by  Mr.  Monis  hlmfelfj 

The  Truth,  The  whole  Truth,  and. 

Nothing  but  the  Truth. 

One  of  which  was  deliver'd  by  him 
ar  his  BAPTISM. 


*  and 


ioid  at  fa«  Stop  ov<aag;uu$£hcold  Brick 
Uwsch  m  CornhiU.     i  7  &  z. 


The  title  of  one  of  these  discourses,  delivered  by 
Monis  at  his  baptism,  reads  as  follows : 

"The  Truth,  being  a  Discourse  which  the  Author 
delivered  at  his  Baptism,  containing  nine  principal 
Arguments  the  modern  Jewish  Rabbins  do  make  to 


40 

prove,  the  Messiah  is  yet  to  come:  with. the  Answers 
to  each,  not  only  according1  to  the  orthodox  opinion, 
but  even  with  the  authority  of  their  own  authentic 
Rabbins  of  old.  And  likewise,  with  the  confession 
of  his  Faith,  at  the  latter  end.  Dedicated  to  the 
Jewish  Nation,  and  Prefaced  by  the  REV.  INCREASE 
MATHER,  D.D.  By  Rabbi  Judah  Monis.  Boston, 
1722."  [Size  6%  inches  by  4  and  containing  36  pp.] 

The  Preface,  signed  Boston,  May  1st,  1722,  reads 
as  follows: 

"  The  conversion  of  Mr.  Monis  to  Christianity,  is 
an  effect  of  divine  grace.  The  truth  and  reality  of 
his  conversion  appears  in  what  is  here  exhibited, 
in  that  he  has  notably  confuted  the  Jews,  from  the 
Scriptures  in  the  Old  Testament,  which  they  pre 
tend  to  believe.  Here  is  also  asserted  and  proved, 
the  Deity  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  And  that 
although  he  is  a  man,  yet  more  than  a  man.  And 
here  also  is  asserted  and  proved,  the  glorious  mys 
tery  of  the  Trinity,  that  that  God  whose  name  is 
Jehovah,  is  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit.  These 
are  the  main  principles  whereby  Christianity  is  dis 
tinguished  from  Judaism  and  other  false  religions. 
There  will  a  time  come  when  there  shall  be  a 
general  conversion  of  the  Jewish  nation.  There 
have  been  some  of  that  nation  brought  home  to 
Christ,  who  have  proved  blessings  to  the  world.  In 
special,  Emanuel  Tremellius  was  such  an  one,. whose 
dying  words  were,  Vi vat  Christus  et  pereat  Barabas; 
Let  Christ  live,  and  let  Barabbas  die.  There  were 
two  Jews,  viz. :  John  Alexander,  and  Theodore  John, 
who  joined  themselves  to  the  German  Lutheran 
congregation  in  the  city  of  London.  A  learned  man, 
viz.  Dr.  Kidder,  gives  an  account  of  two  hundred 
Jews  lately  converted  in  the  city  of  Frankford.  The 
blessed  day  is  coming,  when  all  Israel  shall  be 
saved,  as  I  have  evinced  in  a  Discourse  on  that  sub- 


ject,  written  in  the  year  1667,  and  also  in  my  answer 
to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Baxter  and  Dr.  Lightfoot,  printed 
Anno  1695.  And  the  providence  of  God  seems  to 
intimate  this:  The  miraculous  manner  of  God's 
preserving  the  Jewish  nation  is  an  invincible  proof 
hereof;  for  it  is  an  unprecedented  and  incompre 
hensible  thing,  that  God  should  for  two  thousand 
years  preserve  this  people,  dispersed  among  other 
nations,  without  being  confounded  with  them  in 
their  religions  and  customs,  as  is  usual  among  all 
dispersed  people;  this  clearly  demonstrates  that 
God  has  preserved  them  for  some  great  design, 
which  can  it  be  but  their  conversion  ? 

"  God  grant  that  he  (who  is  the  first  Jew  that 
ever  I  knew  converted  in  New  England)  may  prove 
a  blessing  unto  many,  and  especially  to  some  of  his 
own  nation,  which  is  the  prayer  and  hearty  desire  of, 

INCREASE  MATHER." 


NOTHING  BUT 


The  Truth: 

BE  IN'.Ci 

A  Short  ESSAY, 

W  H  £  LI  E  I  3* 

•-  rbc  Dcchine 


T  R  I  N  I  T  Y, 

Bvih  oar  eif  t<he 

•0/</  Tcllamcnt, 

ABC!  with  the  Anthorttv  of  the 


:  ::  f:u  D'ccnne  is  not  § 
N  0  V  E  L  T  r, .  as  ills  Country- 
•Men  do  think,  but  as  ancient  a« 
the  BIBLE  itfel£ 


By  R/JLD 


H 


4* 

The  wholesale  conversions,  said  to  have  taken 
place  at  Frankfurt,  must,  of  course,  be  taken  with  a 
goodly  grain  of  salt.  No  such  record-breaking  event 
has,  to  my  knowledge,  ever  taken  place.  Kidder 
was  bishop  of  Bath  and  Wells,  very  much  interested 
in  the  evangelization  of  the  Jews,  and  the  author  of 
a  defence  of  the  Christian  religion  against  the  Jews 
(London  1684-1700).  Close  upon  Mr.  Mather's  pref 
ace  follows  a  "  Dedication  to  my  Brethren  according 
to  the  flesh,"  written  by  the  neophyte,  Judah  Monis, 
M.A.,  and  signed  by  him,  Cambridge,  May  ist,  1722. 
This  introductory  epistle  is  much  too  long  to  be 
reproduced,  even  in  part.  It  has  been  reprinted  in 
full  —  together  with  the  preliminary  discourse 
preached  on  the  occasion  of  his  baptism  by  Rev. 
Benjamin  Colman,  and  the  text  of  the  three  Dis 
courses  (each  with  a  separate  title) — in  The  Jewish 
Expositor  and  Friend  of  Israel,  etc.,  vol.  vi.,  London, 
1821, pp.  41-56;  79-96;  125-34;  165-74;  245-57;  285-91; 
325-32. 

Cotton  Mather,  too,  if  we  may  accept  the  testimony 
of  Samuel  Sewall,  was  zealous  to  convert  the  Jews 
to  his  faith.  I  have  before  me  a  facsimile  repro 
duction  of  a  pamphlet  said  to  have  been  written  by 
the  latter,  reprinted  in  the  "  Collections  of  the  Mas 
sachusetts  Historical  Society,"  vol.  vi.,  fifth  series, 
Boston,  1879,  entitled:  "A  Modest  Enquiry  into 
the  \  Groimds  and  Occasions  of  a  Late  \  Pamphlet, — inti 
tuled,  a  |  Memorial  \  of  the  \  Ptesent  Deplorable  State  of 
New  England.  By  a  Disinterested  Hand.  \  London  \ 
Printed  in  the  Year,  1707."  On  p.  80  we  read  the  fol 
lowing  curious  item:  ''I  find  him  [Cotton  Mather] 
in  Spirituals  as  failable  as  in  Politicks,  or  he  would 
not  have  attempted  a  Pretended  Vision,  to  have  con 
verted  Mr.  Frasier  a  Jew,  who  had  before  conceiv'd 
some  good  Notions  of  Christianity  :  The  Conse 
quence  was,  that  the  Forgery  was  so  plainly  detected 


43 

that  Mr.  C.  M.  [Cotton  Mather]  confest  it;  after 
which  Mr.  Frasier  would  never  be  perswaded  to 
hear  any  more  of  Christianity."  If  this  charge 
against  the  Reverend  Cotton  Mather  be  true,  it 
speaks  ill  of  his  integrity. 

Who  Mr.  Frasier,  the  Jew,  could  have  been  we 
have  no  means  of  ascertaining.  Perhaps  he  is  iden 
tical  with  "Joseph  Frazon  the  Jew,"  of  whom  we 
read,  in  the  Diary  of  Samuel  Sewall,  1624-1729  (Mass. 
Hist.  Soc.  Coll.,  vol.  vi.,  5th  ser.,  Boston,  1879),  vol. 
ii.,  p.  95  ad  annum  1703-1704,  that  he  "  dyes  at  Mr. 
Major's,  Mr.  Joyliff's  old  house;  Feb.  5th  Satterday, 
is  carried  in  Simson's  coach  to  Bristow  (Mass.?); 
from  thence  by  Water  to  Newport,  where  there  is  a 
Jews-burying  place  "  (see  the  editor's  note  thereto 
I.e.). 

Judge  Sewall  quotes  (ibid.,  p.  13)  an  "Account  of 
a  Jew  lately  converted  and  baptis'd  at  the  Meeting 
near  Ave-Mary — Lane  [England?],"  and,  in  another 
place  (ibid.,  p.  65)  of  his  Diary,  has  the  following 
entry:  "  7r  [=  September]  13.  1702.  Lords-Day,  Mr. 
Bradstreet  baptiseth  Simon,  the  Jew,  at  Charles- 
town  [S.  C.  ?],  a  young  man  whom  he  was  Instru 
mental  to  convert." 

Judge  Sewall  himself  appears  to  have  cast  covet 
ous  eyes  upon  Jewish  souls,  if  the  following  stanza, 
written  at  the  end  of  a  small  tract,  entitled  Proposals 
touching  the  accomplishment  of  Prophecies  humbly  offered 

by  S.  S.,  M.A Boston,  1713,  were  meant  in  all 

sincerity : 

"  From  hard'ned  Jews  the  Vail  remove; 
Let  them  their  Martyi'd  Jesus  love; 
And  Homage  unto  Him  afford, 
Because  He  is  their  Rightfull  Lord.'' 

(See  his  Diary,  vol.  ii.,  p.  393.)  We  remark,  in  pass 
ing,  that  the  Judge  was  interested  in  the  whereabouts 
of  the  Lost  Ten  Tribes  of  Israel ;  in  the  resettle- 


44 

ment  of  the  Jews  in  the  Holy  Land  and  in  other 
matters  pertaining  to  the  Jews  (see  the  Letter-Book 
of  Samuel  Sewall,  Coll.  Mass.  Hist.  Soc.,  vol.  i.,  sixth 
series,  Boston,  1887,  PP*  22~3  ;  T76,  J77;  197-8  ;  268- 
293,  294,  300,  302  seq. ;  see  also  his  Diary,  vol.  ii.,  p. 
141,  note).  Among  his  books  was  a  copy  of  Bux- 
torf's  Hebrew  Lexicon,  which  he  loaned  to  his  cousin 
in  New  York,  who  inquired  concerning  a  Hebrew 
word  (Diary,  I.e.,  p.  52;  Jan.  30,  1701-2). 

Our  next  point  of  information  on  this  head  is  to 
be  found  in  Dr.  Stiles'  Diary  (vol.  i.,  p.  61  ;  August 
4th,  1770).  It  concerns  a  fair  coreligionist  in  New 
port:  "  There  is  a  young  Jewess  in  Town,"  says  he, 
"born  here,  one  Miss  Pollock,  set.  phaps  15,  that 
with  other  young  Misses  attended  a  Writing  School 
for  two  years  past  where  the  Master  often  gave 
religious  advice  and  exhort3  to  the  children;  by 
which  she  became  so  affected  that  she  often  said  she 
wished  she  &  and  her  Family  were  Christians.  This 
at  length  alarmed  her  Friends  &  they  kept  her  at 
home.  She  heard  Mr.  Whitefield  [Rev.  George  W, 
of  New  York]  to  day,  and  greatly  admired  his 
preaching  the  Gospel  of  Christ."  Several  months 
afterwards  we  hear  of  her  again,  together  with  an 
other  coreligionist,  who  appears  to  have  been  inter 
ested  in  kindred  subjects,  and  who  desired  nothing 
better  in  life  than  to  court  Miss  Pollock  and  to  accept 
Christ.  "  Mr.  [blank]  a  Jew  came  to  my  Study  this 
Even8  to  converse  on  the  New  Testam1  ....  After 
he  was  gone  I  was  told,  that  he  is  courting  Miss 
Pollock  a  young  Jewess  much  inclined  to  Xtianity, 
&  who  has  expressed  her  Wishes  that  her  Mother  & 
family  would  become  Christian.  That  they  had 
both  got  an  English  New  Testament  &  read  it  pri 
vately  together;  &  were  surprized  in  the  Fact  by 
her  Friends,  who  were  highly  displeased." 

The  young  lady  here  referred  to  was,  most  likely, 


45 

the  daughter  of  Issachar  Polloc,  or  of — "  Police, 
junior,"  mentioned  in  a  list  of  Jews  in  Newport  in 
1760,  still  extant  among  Dr.  Stiles'  papers  (see 
Diary,  vol.  i.,  p.  11,  note  2;  and  the  Appendix  sub 
joined  to  this  paper,  containing  "  Statistical  Notes  "). 
Whether  "  Polloc  Junior  "  was  identical  with  Myer 
Pollack,  who  is  described  as  heavily  interested  in 
the  West  India  trade  in  molasses,  and  as  the  owner 
of  a  number  of  vessels  plying  between  Hispaniola, 
and  Newport,  about  that  time,  we  cannot  determine 
(see  Publications  of  Am.  Jew.  Hist.  Soc.,  No.  6,  pp. 
^9>  73).  It  does  not  follow,  from  Dr.  Stiles'  silence 
on  the  subject,  that  Miss  Pollock  embraced  the  Chris 
tian  religion.  It  is  almost  safe  to  conclude  that,  had 
she  done  so,  we  would  have  heard  further  particulars 
of  her  apostasy  in  the  diarist's  pages. 

On  November  iSth,  1770,  he  mentions  (p.  77) 
"a  Pamphlet  on  the  Conversion  of  Rabbi  Jachiel 
Hirshel,"  sent  to  him  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Zubly  of 
Savannah,  Georgia  (cf.  also  p.  236),  a  wealthy 
preacher,  who  was  born  in  Switzerland.  The  publi 
cation  gives  an  account  of  the  baptism  of  the  Rabbi 
at  Zurich.  According  to  Dr.  Stiles,  "  R.  Jehiel  was 
born  .  •  .  in  Swabia  A.D.  1706,  fell  under  con 
victions  1743:  was  converted,  and  made  profession 
Monday  May  23,  1 746,  &  Thursday  after  was  baptized 
by  the  protestant  Minister,  Mr. Werdmiller,  at  Zurich 
in  Switzerland."  Of  this  Rabbi  and  his  alleged  con 
version  I  can  find  no  record  anywhere. 

The  next  quotable  entry  pertaining  to  the  subject 
is  to  be  found  under  date  of  September  5th  1771  (p. 
151).  "  I  was  told  last  week,"  writes  he,  "  that  Mr. 
Hayes,  a  Jew  of  Philada<  was  lately  converted  to 
Christianity,  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Morgan  Edwards 
&  become  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Chh  at  Philadel 
phia.  Mr.  Hays  Brother  lives  here  in  Newport. 
Two  days  ago  I  asked  him  about  it.  He  said  he 


46 

knew  nothing  of  it,  &  did  not  believe  it :  and  added, 
if  his  Br  had  become  a  Xtian  it  was  only  to  answer 
his  Ends,  he  was  not  sincere,  for  he  never  knew  one 
sincere  in  changing  his  Religion  and  becoming 
Christian — &  added  there  were  many  covert  Xtian 
Jews  in  Spain  and  Portugal— &  that  the  Jew  was 
spread  among  them  all— &  that  it  could  be  proved 
that  the  King  of  Spain  or  Portugal  was  of  Jew  Ex 
tract.  But  I  suppose  the  Thing  is  true;  for  Mr. 
Edwards  is  now  here  at  Comtnencm1  at  Providence, 
and  told  this  story  in  Town  last  Week.  It  is  said 
that  the  other  of  Mr  Hays  (the  Family  lived  in 
N.  York)  once  became  a  Xtian  but  afterwards  re 
nounced  Xtianity  for  Judaism." 

Miss  Reyna  Hays  (Diary,  vol.  iii.,  Index,  p.  600;  cf. 
vol,  i.,  p.  393),  who  married  Kazan  Touro,  of  New, 
port,  in  1773  belonged  to  the  same  family.  She  was 
a  sister  of  Moses  Michael  Hays,  an  eminent  mer 
chant  of  Newport  and  Boston  (See  Daly's  Settlement 
of  the  Jews  in  North  America,  26.  ed.,  p.  81,  n.  87;  90; 
Publications  of  the  Am.  Jew.  Hist.  Soc.,  No.  6,  pp.  76, 
102),  who  was  not  only  a  man  of  great  wealth  and 
business  acumen,  but  of  the  broadest  philanthropy, 
says  a  recent  writer.  Moses  M.  Hays  was  the  uncle 
of  Judah  Touro.  For  other  members  of  this  family 
and  for  references  to  contemporaries,  who  bore  this 
name,  see  Daly,  /.  c.,  p.  164,  and  the  Indices  to  all 
the  nine  volumes  of  the  Publ.  of  the  Am.  Jew.  Hist. 
Soc.,  especially  No.  2,  pp.  63-72.  A  Draft  of  Ex 
change,  signed  by  Hays  &  Polack,  and  dated  New 
port,  Aug.  18,  1770,  is  printed  in  No.  2,  p.  55.  They 
are  the  very  two,  of  whom  mention  has  been  made 
above.  Intermarriage  with  Christians  about  this 
time  was  not  uncommon  in  New  York  and  prose 
lytes  were  made  in  goodly  numbers.  "  At  that 
time,"  says  Mr.  N.  Taylor  Phillips  (Publications, 
No.  4,  p.  198),  "among  the  Jewish  community  in 


47 

New  York,  though  a  man  were  even  to  publicly  re 
nounce  Judaism,  nevertheless  he  could  not  become 
a  Christian  in  the  full  sense  .  .  .  for  he  was,  not 
withstanding,  always  regarded  as  a  Jew  .  .  .  some 
thing  in  the  nature  of  a  '  dead- wall  between  church 
and  synagogue,  or  like  the  blank  leaves  between 
the  Old  and  the  New  Testament,'  being  to  the  Jews 
always  a  Christian,  and  to  the  Christians  always  a 
Jew."  On  July  25,  1772  (vol.  I,  p.  255),  Dr.  Stiles 
reports,  through  the  medium  of  a  Jew,  who  had 
spent  the  afternoon  with  him,  and  who  gave  him 
a  somewhat  curious  digest  of  Jewish  ceremonial 
life  (pp.  254-256),  the  wholesale  conversion  of  a 
Christian  family  in  England  to  Judaism.  (See 
Appendix  to  this  paper,  the  chapter  on  "Miscellan 
eous  Notes  "  for  further  particulars  of  these  pros 
elytes.) 

Of  "  Mr.  Levi,  the  Xtian  Jew"  from  London,  and 
Judah  Monis,  M.A.,  first  Hebrew  Instructor  at  Har 
vard  College,  we  have  spoken  in  the  first  part  of  this 
paper. 

On  March  2d,  1787  (vol.  iii  ,  p.  256),  Dr.  Stiles 
records  that  he  wrote  a  letter  "to  Rev.  Mr.  Hideck 
at  Chariest0  S°  Cai°  lately  converted  from  Judaism— 
from  Europe."  A  few  pages  later  (May  4th,  1787; 
p.  262)  we  are  told  that  "  the  Rev.  Heidek  (sic),  a 
lately  converted  Jew  Rabbi,  is  gone  from  Charles^ 
t°  S°  Car0  to  convert  the  Cberokees  to  Christianity  - 
havg  a  Belief  that  the  Amer.  Indians  are  the  Ten 
Tribes  of  the  Hebrews."  This  zealous  Jewish  Chris 
tian  missionary  may  possibly  have  been  a  descend 
ant  of  Juan  Joseph  Heydeck,  who,  according  to 
Hannah  Adams  (History  of  the  Jews,  London,  1818, 
p.  531),  was  "a  learned  Jewish  convert  in  Spain," 
and  published,  in  1797,  a  work  entitled,  A  defense  of 
the  Christian  Religion,  in  four  quarto  volumes.  The 
Abbe  Gregoire  states,  in  his  Histoire  des  Sectes 


48 

gieuses,  that  he  was  professor  of  oriental  languages 
in  Spain.  A  Juan  Jose  Heydek  published  in  Mad 
rid,  1815,  an  account  of  the  Napoleonic  Sanhedrin 
in  Paris,  entitled  Faith  Triumphant  (see  Kayserling's 
Bibl.  Espan.-Portug.-Judaica,  Strassburg,  1890,  p.  53.) 
But,  according  to  the  last  named  historian,  he  was  a 
Christian. 

The  last  item  concerning  Jewish  Christians  in  the 
Diary  is  to  be  found  under  date  of  March  ist,  1795 
(vol.  iii  ,  p.  556):  "Reads  Levy's  address  to  the  Jews 
1788  an  octavo  Vol.  in  English,  but  I  think  written 
by  a  Jew  converted  to  X*y,  &  a  roman  Catholic.  It 
is  a  confused  &  indigested  Composition,  in  ungram- 
matical  English,  but  seems  to  be  written  by  an  hon 
est  &  sincere  &  zealous  Man — with  much  Transla  of 
Scripture,  &  in  some  passages  espy  of  the  O.  T.  with 
Critical  Lights  &  Illustia  of  the  Hebrew  Prophecies 
as  applied  to  J.  Christ." 

I  can  find  no  reference  to  this  Address  in  any  of 
the  bibliographical  material  at  my  disposal.  He  is 
not  to  be  confounded  with  David  Levi,  the  prolific 
controversial  writer,  who  was  a  contemporary  of 
this  author. 

It  is  very  likely  that  the  work  referred  to  is  Levi's 
Discourses  to  the  Nation  of  the  Jews.  Flexneg,  8vo, 
1790,  mentioned  in  Jacobs- Wolf,  Bibliotheca  Anglo- 
Judaica,  London,  1888,  p.  202,  No.  1889.  A  few 
pages  before  (p.  547),  he  records  that  on  the  I7th, 
i8th,  and  I9th  of  November,  1794,  he  was  "reading 
David  Levj's  acc°  of  the  Rites  &  Ceremonies  of  the 
Jews  written  &  pub.  in  England  about  AD  1780  .... 
[editor's  abridgment].  The  book  alluded  to  is  A 
Succint  Account  of  the  Rites  and  Ceremonies  of  the  Jews, 
etc.,  etc.,  London,  1782,  written  in  answer  to  Dr. 
Prideaux  (for  fuller  title  see  Bibl.  Anglo-Jud.y  p.  201. 
No.  1886 ;  cf.  also  my  notes  on  him  in  Publications  of 
the  American  Jewish  Hist.  Soc.  No.  3,  p.  132).  This 


49 

author's  incisive  Defense  of  the  Old  Testament,  in  a 
Series  of  Letters  to  Thomas  Paine,  first  issued  in  Lon 
don,  1797,  was  reprinted  in  1798  at  Philadelphia. 

His  PROGRESS  IN  SEMITICS  AND  SOME  NOTES  ON 
THE  NEWPORT  JEWS. 

On  the  22d  of  October,  1770,  Dr.  Stiles  finished 
reading  the  Old  Testament  in  the  Original  Hebrew, 
which  he  began  to  read  in  course  nearly  three  years 
before,  or  January  30,  1768.  After  comparing  the 
Hebrew  with  the  English  translation  then  in  use,  he 
comes  to  the  conclusion  that  it  is  very  excellent  and 
very  just,  "and  was  it  again  to  be  translated,"  he  could 
not  "  expect  it  would  be  better  done."  He  prefers 
the  King  James  to  all  other  versions,  concerning 
which  he  offers  some  critical  comments  (vol.  i.  p. 
73).  On  November  ist  he  began  to  read  the  Psalter 
(in  Hebrew)  with  a  keener  eye,  considering  its 
author  as  "conversant  in  sublime  &  unerring  Illu 
ming  not  only  as  some  of  the  prophets  were,  .... 
but  as  one  exalted  into  high  real  Commun.  with  the 
fountain  of  Light  .  .  .  ."  He  adds,  by  way  of  giv 
ing  point  to  this  view  of  sublime  illumination,  that 
"  all  the  Rabbins  ascribe  the  second  Psalm  to  the 
Messiah" — a  statement  hard  to  substantiate  (*'&#.,  pp. 
74-75).  On  the  loth  of  November  we  find  him  busy 
"  reading  the  Lives  of  Rabbi  Moses  Ben  Maimon, 
R.  Solomon  Jarchi,  R.  Aben  Ezrae,  &  R.  David 
Kimchi,"  and  two  days  later,  that  of  "  R.  Abarbinel" 
(pp.  76-77).  On  January  ist  of  the  following  year 
he  begins  a  new  line  of  study,  "the  Examination 
of  the  Rabbinical  Commentators,  particularly  at 
present  of  Rabbi  David  Kimchi"  (p.  82).  He  deems 
"  the  Hebrew  of  Moses  &  Isaiah  purer  than  of  Jarchi 
or  Maimonides,  tho'  these  last  are  excellent "  (p. 
99).  On  March  7th  he  compares  the  famous  Mes 
sianic  chapters  of  Isaiah  in  Hebrew  and  English 


5° 

(ibid.)\  on  the  nth  he  reads  Basnage's  History  of  the 
Jews  and  writes  "  a  Latin  Letter  to  a  Moravian  Min 
ister  at  Astracan  on  the  R.  Volga,  to  inquire  after 
the  Ten  Tribes  among  the  Kalmucs  &  Usbeck  Tartars 
about  the  Caspian  sea"  (p.  loo).  This  epistle  is  not 
mentioned  in  our  previous  notes  on  the  subject  of 
Dr.  Stiles'  correspondence  concerning  the  where 
abouts  of  the  "  dispersed  of  Israel  "  (see  this  essay, 
PP-  9-I3)-  On  the  iQth  of  April  he  translates  an 
appeal  for  financial  aid  sent  to  one  of  his  Jewish 
friends  from  Palestine,  from  Hebrew  into  English 
(p.  102).  The  original  of  this  letter  is  copied  by  the 
diarist  under  date  of  March  26th,  and,  a  few  pages 
later,  he  jots  down  his  version  (see  note  2  on  p.  97). 
May  i4th,  he  reports  with  evident  pride  and  relish 
that  his  son  Ezra,  then  twelve  years  of  age,  *'  having 
spelt  &  read  to  the  52d  Psalm  in  the  Hebrew  Psalter, 
this  day  began  to  translate  the  first  Psalm.  I  pur 
pose,"  adds  he,  with  unconscious  humor,  "he  shall 
translate  only  a  verse  or  two  a  day  before  Break 
fast "  (p.  105).  The  Kalmuck  Tartars  and  the  Ten 
Tribes  are  again  the  subject  of  an  enquiry — this 
time  he  is  led  to  speak  of  his  pet  theme  through  the 
interest  in  it  of  a  Moravian  minister  in  New  York, 
who  desires  him  to  send  '  a  Letter  of  Interroga 
tories"  concerning  them,  that  he  may  "forward  it 
and  procure  an  Answer"  (July  nth;  p.  121;  see 
above,  p.  10).  August  1st  is  a  gala  day:  His  portrait, 
painted  by  Samuel  King,  begun  in  1770,  was  finished. 
It  is  the  same  of  which  the  frontispiece  to  vol.  i.  of 
the  Diary  is  a  reproduction.  He  seems  to  be  inor 
dinately  vain  of  this  likeness  and  describes  it  with 
much  circumstantial  pedantry.  He  is  proud  of  the 
bookshelves  displayed  on  his  left,  on  one  of  which, 
containing  folio  volumes  only,  the  Babylonian  Tal 
mud,  "  Aben  Ezra,  Rabbi  Selomoh  Jarchi"  and  "  R. 
Moses  Ben  Maimon  Moreh  Nevochim  "  keep  friendly 


51 

company  with  Livy  and  Eusebius.  The  Hebrew 
collection  is  to  him  symbolical  of  the  "  Rabbin. 
Learns  part y  in  the  two  most  eminent  Periods  of  it ; 
the  first  before  &  at  the  Time  of  Christ  contain^  the 
Decisions  of  the  house  of  R.  Eleazar  at  Babylon,  and 
those  of  the  Houses  Hillel  &  Shammai  at  Jerusalem ; 
the  second  period  was  at  the  Revival  of  the  Hebrew 
Learning  in  the  XIth  &  Twelfth  Centuries,  when 
arose  those  Lights  of  the  Captivity,  Jarchi,  Mai- 
monides  &c.  I  prize  this  Learng  only  for  the  scat 
tered  Remains  of  the  antient  Doctrine  of  the  Trinity, 
&  a  suffering  Messiah,  preserved  in  the  Opinions  of 
some  of  the  Rabbins  before  Christ — the  very  Labors 
of  the  modern  Rabbins  to  obviate  or  interpret  them 
into  another  sense  &  Application  evincing  their 
Genuineness  &  Reality.  The  Moreh  Nevochim 
which  was  originally  written  in  Arabic,  is  curious 
for  many  Reasons  ;  it  was  a  capital  Work,  &  became 
an  Occasion  of  the  greatest  literary  Dispute  among 
the  Jews  since  the  days  of  Hillel — it  contains  great 
Concessions,  which  have  recommended  it  to  Xtian 
Divines"  (p.  131). 

What  these  great  concessions  may  be  it  is  dif 
ficult  to  conjecture,  unless  Dr.  Stiles  read  his  own 
Christological  views  into  Maimonides.  If  he  did,  it 
is  not  surprising  that  he  should  have  prized  his 
Hebraica  so  dearly,  for  he  solaced  himself  with  the 
idea  that  they  contained  fragments  of  the  doctrine 
of  the  Trinity. 

Hereupon  follows  a  somewhat  vague  symbolical 
description  of  the  various  objects  to  be  seen  on  the 
portrait,  all  emblematic  of  some  high  and  celestial 
thing.  "  In  a  central  Glory  is  the  name  rnrr,"  says 
he,  and,  true  to  his  bent,  he  brings  it  in  connection 
with  the  Trinity  before  the  paragraph  ends  (p.  132). 

On  the  26th  of  October  he  begins  to  read  "the 
Jews  Heb.  Prayer-Book,"  (p.  179)  from  which,  on 


5' 

November  4th,  he  read  20  pages  (p.  182).  On  Janu 
ary  ist,  1772,  he  has  the  following  entry :  "  Continue 
reading  dayly  a  portion  of  Hebrew,  both  in  the 
Chaldaic  &  Rabbinical  Letters;  sometimes  the  Bible, 
sometimes  the  Jews  prayer  book ;  sometimes  Ex 
amining  passages  in  the  Targums,  or  the  Exposition 
of  R.  David  Kimchi.  I  have  nearly  finished  the 
Hebrew  Liturgy  in  Course.  This  abounds  with 
Repetitions,  as  our  Savior  speaks"  (p.  195).  He 
finished  reading  "the  Jewish  Liturgy  in  Hebrew, 
above  300  pages,"  February  7th  of  the  same  year 
(p.  208),  but  begins  another  volume  on  March  2d — 
it  being  "a  Collection  of  Jewish  Prayers  and  Ser 
vice  for  the  Beginning  of  the  Year,  and  the  great  Fast 
or  Day  of  Atonement  in  a  thick  octavo  ....  [editor's 
abridgment].  Among  other  Things  this  Book  con 
tains  descriptions  of  the  Worship  of  the  Angelic 
Hierarchies,  i.  e.  the  grand  Divisions  under  which 
they  worship  God.  Also  the  Keter  Malkut"  (pp. 
214-15).  A  Hebrew  prayer-book  of  the  Sephardic 
rite,  printed  by  Athias,  and  bearing  on  p.  325,  after 
the  Psalm  for  Pentecost,  the  note  "  Legi  July  28, 
1782,  Ezra  Stiles,"  was  presented  to  Yale  College 
Library  by  W.  Davenport  (no  doubt  a  kinsman  of 
those  bearing  that  name  enumerated  in  the  Diary, 
Index,  vol.  iii.,  p.  587),  in  1792,  and  is  still  there. 
Rev.  Wolf  Willner  has  reproduced  some  of  the  mar 
ginal  notes  of  the  diarist,  which,  if  they  do  not  attest 
his  scholarship,  show,  nevertheless,  an  easy  famil 
iarity  with  Hebrew  (Publications  of  the  Am.  Jew. 
Hist.  Soc.y  No.  8,  1900,  pp.  121-22).  That  was  the 
identical  book  used  by  him  in  his  readings.  May 
i8th,  1772,  finds  him  examining  "  R.  David  Kimchi 
on  2d  Psalm"  (p.  236) ;  June  i4th,  in  a  learned  dis 
cussion  on  Philo  and  the  relations  between  Platon- 
ism  and  Judaism  (p.  243) ;  November  25th,  studying 
the  Zohar  all  day  (p.  303),  which  ha  had  received 


SJ 

from  London  on  October  2gth  (see  this  essay,  p.  21), 
and  showed  with  much  satisfaction  to  a  Polish 
Rabbi,  who  visited  Newport  in  1772  (p.  299),  and 
with  whom  he  had  many  a  chat  about  his  favorite 
themes  before  his  departure  for  the  West  Indies 
(p.  322).  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  this  edition 
of  the  Zohar  (Zulzbach,  1684)  cost  Dr.  Stiles  "  22/6 
sterling"  (p.  302).  It  continued  to  form  a  part  of 
his  studies  for  some  time  (see  pp.  325,  329),  until  the 
arrival  of  his  friend,  Rabbi  Carigal  when,  together 
with  him,  he  pursued  nobler  investigations. 

Dr.  Stiles'  friendly  interest  in  the  Jews  of  Newport 
increased  year  by  year ;  his  visits  to  the  Synagogue 
became  more  frequent  and  his  reports  concerning 
its  inmates  more  and  more  interesting.  Thus,  on 
August  27th,  1770,  he  writes:  "This  Even*  I  went 
to  the  Synagogue,  &  heard  Mr.  Satius  [phonetic 
spelling  of  Seixas\  perform  prayers.  He  is  a  young 
man  of  about  22  aet.  &  a  Chusan  of  the  Synagogue 
at  N.  York  "  (p.  66).  A  few  days  later  (September 
ist;  p.  68)  he  tells  us  of  another  visit  to  the  Syna 
gogue,  where  he  "  heard  Mr.  Satius  read  the  Law  & 
Service.  How  melancholy  to  behold,"  adds  the 
pious  diarist  with  a  sad  shake  of  his  head,  "an  As 
sembly  of  Worshippers  of  Jehovah,  Open  &  professed 
Enemies  to  a  crucified  Jesus  ....  [editor's  abridg 
ment]." 

The  Reader, here  alluded  to, was  the  Rev.Gershom 
Mendes  Seixas,  who  for  fifty  years  officiated  as 
Hazan  of  Congregation  Shearith  Israel  in  New 
York.  He  was  born  January  i4th,  1745;  installed 
in  office  on  the  ist  of  Tamuz,  5528  (1768),  and  died 
July  2d,  1816,  in  the  71st  year  of  his  age.  He  was  a 
learned  man,  an  ardent  patriot  and  an  important 
educational  factor  in  the  city,  where  he  dwelt  for  so 
many  decades.  It  is  said  that  he  was  so  vehement 
in  the  espousal  of  the  colonist  cause  that,  rather  than 


54 

permit  the  Synagogue  to  be  recognized  as  a  Tory 
organization,  he  caused  its  doors  to  be  closed  dur 
ing  the  great  struggle  for  liberty.  He  left  New 
York,  in  August,  1776, — after  delivering  himself  of  a 
passionate  appeal  from  the  pulpit,  wherein  he  attested 
his  unswerving  fealty  to  America, — removing  to 
Stratford,  Conn.,  where  he  lived  in  retirement  until 
1780.  Then  he  went  to  Philadelphia  to  officiate 
there  as  Kazan  of  the  congregation  Mickv6  Israel. 
On  March  23,  1784,  he  returned  to  New  York,  having 
visited  that  city  on  two  occasions,  in  the  interim, 
when  he  was  called  to  solemnize  the  marriage  of 
two  of  his  former  flock.  From  1787  to  1815  he  served 
as  a  trustee  of  Columbia  College,  being  the  first 
Israelite  to  occupy  such  a  post  of  duty  and  trust  in 
Ameriga.  He  stood  well  with  his  colleagues  of 
other  denominations,  in  whose  pulpits  he  was  a 
frequent  and  an  honored  guest.  With  thirteen  other 
clergymen,  he  participated  in  the  inaugural  cere 
monies  of  Washington  as  the  first  President  of  the 
United  States,  held  at  New  York,  in  1789.  Pane 
gyrics  were  delivered  at  his  obsequies  by  a  num 
ber  of  noted  men,  among  them  by  Dr.  Jacob  De  La 
Motta,  M.D.,  of  Savannah,  Ga.  (cf.  my  notes  in 
Publications  of  the  Am.  Jew.  Hist.  Soc.,  No.  3,  pp. 
133-34),  by  the  Rev.  Emanuel  N.  Carvalho  (A  Sermon 
on  the  death  of  Rev.  Mr.  Gershom  Mendes  Seixas,  Philad. , 
1816,  8vo),  and  by  Mr.  Naphtali  Phillips,  then  presi 
dent  of  the  congregation  (New  York,  1816,  8vo), 
delivered  at  the  request  of  the  board  of  trustees. 
Interesting  biographical  and  genealogical  data  con 
cerning  this  excellent  preacher  and  Son  of  Liberty 
may  be  found  in  the  Publications,  above  quoted,  No. 
4,  pp.  204-13 ;  No.  6,  pp.  129-133,  by  Mr.  N.  Taylor 
Phillips, — who  also  gives  a  facsimile  likeness  of  the 
Hazan,  from  an  old  medallion — and  in  the  Jewish 
Comment,  January  10th,  1902,  by  Mr.  Leon  Huehner, 


55 

who  gives  detailed  information  pertaining  to  this 
"  Patriot  Jewish  Minister  of  the  American  Revolu 
tion." 

On  the  29th  of  September,  "  this  being  the  great 
Day  of  Atonement"  (p.  70) ;  on  the  25th  of  October 
(p.  74),  1770;  February  2d ;  March  29th  and  30th, 
1771,  "it  being  the  Evens  of  the  Passover,"  he  vis 
ited  the  Synagogue  (pp.  86,  97-8).  The  last  refer 
ence  in  the  Diary  reads  as  follows :  "  Went  to  the 
Synagogue,  it  being  PASSOVER.  They  read  from 
two  Vellum  Copies  or  Rolls  of  the  Law  in  the  Fore 
noon.  In  the  Afternoon  they  began  by  reading  a 
Portion  out  of  Solomons  Song.  This  was  new  to  me. 
I  knew  not  before  that  the  Canticles  were  ever  pub- 
lickly  read  in  the  Synagogue — &  least  of  all  that  it 
was  a  usage  at  the  Passover.  They  showed  me  a 
Copy  of  the  Canticles  with  a  Spanish  Translation  : 
&  also  subjoyned  was  a  Spanish  Translation  of  the 
Chaldee  Targum  on  the  Canticles."  His  next  visits 
are  recorded  on  May  25th,  September  9th  (New 
Year's  Eve)  and  30th,  1771— "  being  the  last  day  of 
the  Feast  nDDn  jn  [sic]  "—February  29th,  April  18th 
— u  it  being  HDD  nit?  Sabbath  of  the  Passover" — May 
30th  and  June  6th,  1772.  On  the  last  two  occasions 
(pp.  239,  242),  a  Mr.  Turner  and  a  Mr.  Colton  and 
his  wife  accompanied  him,  it  being  the  Feast  of 
Weeks.  "  Fasciculi  of  various  Flowers  were  fas 
tened  about  the  Candles  and  on  different  Parts  of 
the  Synagogue,  tomorrow  Evening  being  Pente 
cost."  As  we  have  seen  above  (p.  19),  distinguished 
visitors  at  the  Synagogue  in  Newport  were  cordially 
received  and  assigned  seats  of  honor  during  divine 
services. 

Dr.  Stiles  was  fond  of  attending  worship  on  spe 
cial  occasions,  and  the  descriptions  he  gives  of  these 
ceremonies  are  very  interesting  indeed.  Thus,  we 
are  told  by  Rev.  Abiel  Holmes,  his  biographer  (p. 


56 

173),  that  he  was  present  on  the  anniversary  of  the 
destruction  of  the  Temple— July  29th,  1773.  His 
comments  on  that  service  are  all  the  more  important 
because  they  are  given  only  in  brief  by  the  editor 
of  the  Literary  Diary  (cf.  Holmes,  p.  171,  note),  in 
vol.  i.,  p.  403.  "  Went  to  the  Synagogue,  it  being 
the  Anniversary  Fast  for  the  Destruction  of  the 
Temple  both  by  Nebuchadnezzar  and  Titus.  They 
began  at  VII  and  held  till  noon.  The  place  of  the 
ark  was  covered  with  a  black  curtain,  and  the  lamp 
was  put  out.  A  table,  covered  with  black,  stood 
before  the  Tabauh :  and  on  a  low  bench  sat  the  Par- 
nass  and  Huzzan.  The  prayers  were  exceedingly 
melancholy,  particularly  when  the  Huzzan  rose  up, 
and  went  to  the  place  of  the  holy  of  holies,  or  the 
ark  and  mercy-seat ;  where  he  wrapped  himself  up 
in  the  black  curtain,  and  slowly  mourned  out  a  most 
solemn  weeping,  and  doleful  lamentation,  for  the 
absence  of  the  Debir  and  Shechinah,  for  the  cessation 
of  the  oracle,  and  for  the  destruction  of  the  holy  of 
holies.  The  roll  of  the  law  was  brought  out,  with 
out  any  ceremony,  covered  in  black,  and  read  at  the 
foot  of  the  Tabauh;  the  portion  was  from  Deuter 
onomy.  Then  the  fourth  chapter  of  Jeremiah  was 
read,  and  three  or  four  other  chapters ;  then  the 
book  of  Lamentations ;  then  the  beginning  and  end 
of  Job."  (See  also  Willner,  Publications  of  the  Amer. 
Jew.  Hist.  Soc.,  No.  8,  p.  125.  For  other  accounts  of 
services  in  the  Synagogue  written  by  the  diarist, 
see  the  Appendix,  chapter  on  "  Rabbi  Hayyim  Isaac 
Carigal  and  Ezra  Stiles.") 

Just  ten  years  before,  in  another  volume  of  pa 
pers,  still  unpublished,  Dr.  Stiles  gave  a  graphic 
description  of  the  Synagogue  itself,  which  we  sub 
join  herewith.  Since  his  day  others  have  written 
about  the  imposing  colonial  edifice,  but  none  so 
exhaustively  as  he,  Mr.  A.  W.  Brunner,  in  his  in- 


57 

structive  article  on  "  Jewish  Architecture,"  in  The 
Jewish  Encyclopedia,  vol.  i.,  New  York,  1901,  pp. 
506-7,  has  this  to  say : 

The  building,  which  is  an  excellent  example  of 
the  colonial  style  of  the  period,  is  constructed  of 
brick,  and  has  a  carved-stone  cornice  and  porch. 
The  plan  is  rectangular,  with  windows  on  all  four 
sides  and  a  projecting  north  wing,  containing  a  ves 
tibule  and  the  only  entrance  to  the  women's  gallery. 
The  porch  is  on  the  west  side  and  the  Ark  on  the 
eastern  wall.  The  latter  is  neatly  paneled,  and  its 
cornice  is  surmounted  by  the  two  tables  of  the  Law. 
It  is  raised  above  the  main  floor ;  it  has  high  rail 
ings  all  along  it,  with  a  space  at  the  left  for  the 
pulpit.  The  reading-desk  is  in  the  centre  of  the 
building ;  and  there  are  no  stationary  seats.  Twelve 
Ionic  columns  support  the  gallery,  which  extends 
on  three  sides  of  the  building  and  is  faced  by  a  bal 
ustrade  high  enough  to  shield  the  occupants  from 
view.  The  ceiling  is  flat,  with  a  deep  cove  above  a 
modillion  cornice.  This  little  building  was  designed 
by  Peter  Harrison,  an  architect  whose  work  in  Bos 
ton  and  Newport  is  well  known :  it  is  treated  in  his 
customary  style,  and  is  a  typical  American  syna 
gogue  of  the  earlier  times.  The  columns,  cornices, 
pilasters,  balustrades,  all  of  which  are  painted  white, 
with  some  of  the  carving  sparingly  gilded,  are  good 
examples  of  the  best  work  of  the  day;  while  the 
plan  of  the  interior  is  exactly  adapted  to  the  require 
ments  of  an  Orthodox  Jewish  synagogue. 

This  edifice  is  still  intact ;  and  no  alterations  have 
been  made  except  for  the  introduction  of  gas  light 
ing.  At  the  side  of  it  is  a  two-story  building,  in 
which  are  rooms  for  a  sexton,  for  meetings,  or  for 
the  purposes  of  a  school.  In  the  lower  room  are  to 
be  seen,  at  this  day,  the  slab  and  roller  for  making 
unleavened  bread  for  Passover  and  various  articles 


used  in  preparing  the  dead  for  burial.  (For  other 
data  and  illustrations  relating  to  this  synagogue,  see 
the  special  number  of  THE  AMERICAN  HEBREW  issued 
May  2ist,  1897,  where,  among  other  interesting 
details,  extracts  from  the  Literary  Diary  are  given  ; 
the  bibliography  in  Publications  of  the  American  Jew. 
Hist.  Soc.,  No.  6,  p.  78,  note;  an  article  by  Rev.  Dr. 
H.  P.  Mendes  in  Helpful  Thoughts,  vol.'ii.,  No.  10; 
New  York,  February,  1898,  p.  136;  the  Jewish  Ency 
clopedia,  vol.  i.,  1901,  pp.  496-7;  506-7;  a  sketch  by 
Eugene  Schreier,  Esq.,  of  Newport,  in  a  pamphlet, 
entitled  "  Convention  of  Jewish  Societies  for  Pro 
moting  Physical  Culture  among  the  Jewish  masses 
....  called  by  the  Touro  Cadets  ....  July  28, 
1901,"  Newport,  1901,  pp.  6-7.) 
Dr.  Stiles'  account  reads  as  follows  : 

The  Synagogue  at  Newport. 

"Dec.  2,  1763,  Friday.  'In  the  Afternoon  was 
the  dedication  of  the  new  Synagogue  in  this  Town. 
It  began  by  a  handsome  procession  in  which  were 
carried  the  Books  of  the  Law,  to  be  deposited  in  the 
Ark.  Several  Portions  of  Scripture,  &  of  their 
Service  with  a  Prayer  for  the  Royal  Family,  were 
read  and  finely  sung  by  the  priest  &  People.  There 
were  present  many  Gentlemen  &  Ladies.  The 
Order  and  Decorum,  the  Harmony  &  Solemnity  of 
the  Musick,  together  with  a  handsome  Assembly  of 
People,  in  a  Edifice  the  most  perfect  of  the  Temple 
kind  perhaps  in  America,  &  splendidly  illuminated, 
could  not  but  raise  in  the  Mind  a  faint  Idea  of  the 
Majesty  &  Grandeur  of  the  Ancient  Jewish  Wor 
ship  mentioned  in  Scripture.' 

"  Dr.  Isaac  de  Abraham  Touro  performed  the 
Service."  The  Synagogue  is  about  perhaps  fourty 
foot  long  &  30  wide,  of  Brick  on  a  Foundation  of 
free  Stone ;  it  was  begun  about  two  years  ago,  &  is 


How  finished  except  the  Porch  &  the  Capitals  of  the 
Pillars.  The  Front  representation  of  the  holy  of 
holies,  or  its  Partition  Veil,  consists  only  of  wain- 
scotted  Breast  Work  on  the  East  End,  in  the  lower 
part  of  which  four  long  Doors  cover  an  upright 
Square  Closet  the  depth  of  which  is  about  a  foot  or 
the  thickness  of  the  Wall,  &  in  this  Apartment  (vul 
garly  called  the  Ark)  were  deposited  three  Copies  & 
Rolls  of  the  Pentateuch,  written  on  Vellum  or  rather 
tanned  Calf  Skin :  one  of  these  Rolls  I  was  told  by 
Dr.  Touro  was  presented  from  Amsterdam  &  is  Two 
Hundred  years  old ;  the  Letters  have  the  Rabbinical 
Flourishes. 

"  A  Gallery  for  the  Women  runs  round  the  whole 
Inside,  except  the  East  End,  supported  by  Columns 
of  Ionic  order,  over  which  are  placed  correspondent 
Columns  of  the  Corinthian  order  supporting  the 
Cieling  of  the  Roof.  The  Depth  of  the  Corinthian 
Pedestal  is  the  height  of  the  Balustrade  which  runs 
round  the  Gallery.  The  Pulpit  for  Reading  the 
Law,  is  a  raised  Pew  with  an  extended  front  table  ; 
this  placed  about  the  center  of  the  Synagogue  or 
nearer  the  West  End,  being  a  Square  embalustraded 
Comporting  with  the  Length  of  the  indented  Chan 
cel  before  &  at  the  Foot  of  the  Ark. 

"  On  the  middle  of  the  North  Side  &  Affixed  to 
the  Wall  is  a  raised  Seat  for  the  Parnas  or  Ruler,  & 
for  the  Elders ;  the  Breast  and  Back  interlaid  with 
Chinese  Mosaic  Work.  A  Wainscotted  Seat  runs 
round  Side  of  the  Synagogue  below,  &  another  in 
the  Gallery.  There  are  no  other  Seats  or  pews. 
There  may  be  Eighty  Souls  of  Jews  or  15  families 
now  in  Town.  The  Synagogue  has  already  cost 
Fifteen  Hundred  Pounds  Sterling.  There  are  to  be 
five  Lamps  pendant  from  a  lofty  Ceiling  "  (See 
Literary  Diary,  vol.  i.,  p.  6,  note  ;  p.  62,  note  2,  where 
Dr.  Stiles  gives  the  measurements  of  the  Synagogue 
as  "40x39^."). 


There  is  an  excellent  diagram  of  the  Town  of 
Newport  in  the  Diary  under  date  of  October  3d,  1775, 
drawn  by  Dr.  Stiles  (p.  622  of  vol.  i.),  which  gives 
the  site  of  the  Synagogue  and  the  location  of  Touro 
Street  very  distinctly. 

The  foundation  of  the  structure  was  laid  on  the 
first  of  August,  1759;  it  was  dedicated  December 
2d,  1763.  Rev.  Isaac  Touro  was  the  first  officiating 
minister,  and  he  remained  in  office  until  1775,  when 
he  sailed  for  Jamaica.  For  a  period  of  108  years 
(1775-1883)  there  was  no  Rabbi  appointed  in  Touro's 
place.  From  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolutionary 
War  until  the  early  decades  of  the  last  century  the 
Synagogue  and  cemetery  were  practically  neglected. 
In  1820,  Abraham  Touro,  son  of  the  Rev.  Isaac 
Touro,  had  a  wall  built  around  the  ancient  burial 
ground,  which  his  brother  Judah,  the  noted  philan 
thropist,  whose  benefactions  to  the  city  and  country 
were  numerous,  afterward  replaced  with  the  beau 
tiful  iron  railing  and  handsome  gates,  now  so  much 
admired. 


THE  NEWPORT   SYNAGOGUE 


6i 

The  Scrolls  of  the  Law,  often  referred  to  in  the 
Diary  as  of  very  ancient  date,  have  a  history.  One 
is  said  to  have  been  brought  from  Spain  during  the 
Inquisition  (see  Schreier,  I.e.,  p.  7)  by  the  first  Jew 
ish  settlers,  who  arrived  in  Newport  in  1658.  An 
other,  according  to  Dr.  Stiles  (see  above,  p.  23),  was 
a  gift  from  the  Portuguese  synagogue  in  London; 
the  third  of  these  Rolls,  we  are  told,  was  presented 
from  Amsterdam  and  is  200  years  old,  the  first  of 
these  being  even  older  by  circa  150  years.  A  fourth 
is  mentioned  in  vol.  i.,  p.  1 1  (see  above,  p.  23;  as  the 
donation  of  Mr.  Lopez,  and  valued  at  ^£40  sterling. 
These  rolls  had  silver  tops  and  bells  washed  with 
gold.  In  1763  the  congregation  owned  but  three 
Scrolls  of  the  Law;  in  1769  there  were  six  copies 
deposited  in  the  Ark.  In  the  early  part  of  the  last 
century  the  Newport  Jews  entrusted  these  sacred 
relics  to  the  custody  of  the  Spanish  and  Portuguese 
Congregation  of  New  York,  "  whose  members  be 
came  guardians  and  proprietors  of  the  Newport 
Synagogue,  as  the  members  of  the  latter  became 
merged  with  their  own"  (cf.  Mendes,  I.e.,  p,  136), 
It  remains  to  be  said,  in  connection  with  the  interior 
equipments  of  the  edifice,  that  in  the  centre  are  five 
massive  bronze  candelabra,  two  of  which  are  the 
gift  of  Jacob .  Rodriguez  Rivera  and  his  son  Abra 
ham,  and  are  dated  1765;  one  by  Isaac  Pollock, 
dated  1760;  one  by  Naphtali  Hart  Myers,  dated 
1760;  and  one  by  Aaron  Lopez,  dated  1770  (see 
Schreier's  sketch,  I.e.,  p.  7). 

The  British  evacuated  Newport,  October  27,  1779. 
The  General  Assembly  met  for  the  first  time  after 
the  evacuation  in  the  ancient  Newport  Synagogue, 
in  September,  1780.  The  Supreme  Court  of  Rhode 
Island  also  convened  in  that  sacred  place  after  the 
departure  of  the  King's  troops,  the  State  House  not 
being  habitable  (cf.  Schreier,  I.e.,  p.  9). 


6* 

By  far  the  most  distinguished  visitor  to  the  Syna 
gogue  was  President  Washington,  in  1790.  On  that 
occasion  he  was  the  recipient  of  an  address  pre 
sented  on  behalf  of  the  Hebrew  Congregation  by 
Moses  Seixas,  Warden  of  the  Synagogue.  As  the 
letter  bears  the  date  of  August  17th,  it  would  seem 
plausible  that  the  noted  visitor  was  welcomed  either 
on  that  or  the  following  day.  Washington's  Reply 
to  this  well-worded  document  was  equally  dignified 
and  carried  with  it  all  the  grace  of  majesty  as  he 
accentuated  the  blessings  of  civil  and  religious  lib 
erty,  which  the  Government  of  the  United  States 
holds  out  to  all  alike.  It  contained  the  guarantee 
that  this  liberal  policy  shall  remain  unchanged  and 
unassailable.  The  Reply  first  appeared  in  the  New 
port  Herald,  Sept.  9,  1790,  published  by  Peter  Edes 
(see  Schreier,  /.c.,  p.  11),  and  reprinted  frequently 
elsewhere.  Mr.  Lewis  Abraham,  in  his  article  on 
the  "Correspondence  between  Washington  and  Jew 
ish  Citizens"  (PubL  of  the  Am.  Jew.  Hist.  Soc.y  No.  3, 
pp.  87-96),  copies  the  President's  address  from  the 
United  States  Gazette,  of  1790,  and  remarks  that  "  it 
is  strange  that  the  letters  are  not  all  to  be  found  in 
books  in  which  the  Washington  correspondence  is 
compiled."  In  this  he  is  mistaken,  for  they  are  all 
contained  in  the  following  volume :  *  A  Collection 
of  the  Speeches  of  the  President  of  the  United 
States  to  both  Houses  of  Congress  at  the  Opening 
of  every  Session  with  their  Answers  also  the  Ad 
dresses  to  the  President  with  his  answers,  from  the 
time  of  his  Election,  with  an  Appendix  containing 
the  circular  letter  of  Gen.  Washington  to  the  Gov 
ernors  of  the  Several  States,  and  his  farewell  orders 
[address?]  to  the  Armies  of  America,  and  the  An 
swer.  Dedicated  to  the  Citizens  of  the  United 

States  of  America Printed  at  Boston 

July,  1796,"  pp.    227-30;     231-233.     (To    the  biblic- 


graphy  may  be  added  The  Israelite  [now  American 
Israelite},  Cincinnati,  1856  ;  German  translation  in 
Frankl's  Monatsschrift  fuer  die  Geschichte  und  Wissen- 
schaft  des  Judenthums,  vol.  vi.,  pp.  359-64 ;  THE 
AMERICAN  HEBREW,  Jan.  13,  1893,  p.  357  seq.\  Ameri 
can  Jews'  Annual  for  1894  ;  my  article  in  the  Menorah 
Monthly,  vol.  xviii.,  No.  4,  &c.,  &c.).  Dr.  Stiles  too, 
in  his  Literary  Diary,  June  22,  1790  (vol.  iii.,  p.  397), 
quotes  from  one  of  these  letters.  His  entry  there 
is  significant  because  of  his  interpretation  of  the 
President's  views  :  "An  Address  was  lately  pre 
sented  to  G.  Washs  by  the  Synagogue  or  Heb. 
Cong*  at  Savanna  in  Georgia ;  to  which  the  Presid1 
in  his  answer  says, 

May  the  same  wonderworks  Deity,  who  long  since  delivering 
the  Hebrews  from  their  Egyptian  Oppressions  planted  them  in 
the  Promised  Land — whose  providential  Agency  has  lately  been 
conspicuous  in  establishing  these  United  States  as  an  Independ* 
Nation — still  continue  to  water  them  with  the  Dews  of  Heaven 
&  to  make  ye  Inhabitants  of  every  Denomin*  ,  participate  in  the 
tempo  &  Spiritual  Blessgs  of  that  people  whose  G<*  is  Jehovah. 

G.  WASHINGTON  ' 

(Hence  Wash,  a  Revelationist.}" 

(For  some  minor  variations  in  the  text  of  this 
Reply,  see  Abrahams,  I.e.,  pp.  89-90.) 

Moses  Seixas,  the  warden,  who  signed  the  New 
port  address  of  Welcome  to  Washington,  was  Grand 
Master  of  the  Masonic  Fraternity  of  Rhode  Island, 
and  cashier  of  the  Bank  of  Rhode  Island  from  its 
commencement  until  his  death,  He  was  prominently 
identified  with  all  that  tended  to  advance  the  inter 
est  of  the  town  of  Newport.  He  died  on  Nov.  2Qth, 
1809  (cf.  Schreier,  I.e.,  p.  10).  Mr.  N.  Taylor  Phil 
lips,  who  possesses  some  relics  of  the  Seixas  family, 
gives  some  interesting  details  of  his  family  and 
genealogy  in  PubL  Am.  Jew.  Hist.  Soc.,  No.  4,  pp. 
203-24.  His  kinsman,  Benjamin  Seixas,  a  promi 
nent  Hebrew  citizen,  was  clerk  of  the  Newport 


Volunteers  in  1811.  We  record  in  this  connection, 
the  name  of  Mordecai  Myers,  of  Newport,  who  held 
the  rank  of  captain  during  the  second  war  with  Eng 
land  (1812-14),  and  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of 
Chrysler's  Field  (cf .  Outlines  of  Jewish  History,  by 
Lady  Magnus,  Philadelphia,  1890,  p.  351  ;  he  is 
missing  in  Hon.  Simon  Wolf's  book). 

Dr.  Stiles  did  not  confine  his  visits  to  the  Syna 
gogue  alone.  He  was  on  intimate  social  footing 
with  the  members  of  the  Jewish  fraternity,  especi 
ally  with  Aaron  Lopez,  whom  he  characterizes  as 
"  the  most  universally  beloved  ...  of  any  man  I 
ever  knew,"  Then  we  learn  from  the  Diary  (pp. 
74,  260)  that  on  the  25th  of  October,  i  77o,  and  on 
Aug.  i2th,  1772,  he  visited  u  Mr.  Tauro  [elsewhere 
called  Touro]  the  Jew  Priest  or  Reader,  and  dis 
cussed  with  him  on  sundry  Texts  in  Hebrew."  It 
will  be  remembered  that  it  was  Touro  who  taught 
him  the  first  rudiments  of  the  sacred  tongue  (see 
supra,  p.  15)  in  176?,  when  he  was  forty  years  of  age. 
On  June  23d,  1773,  he  visited  Rabbi  Carigal  in  com 
pany  with  Mr.  Delisle,  conversing  with  him  from  3 
o'clock  to  sunset  (vol.  i.,  p.  388).  On  one  occasion 
he  sent  his  son  to  wait  upon  the  Rabbi  and  to  escort 
him  to  a  religious  Meeting.  The  Rabbi  came  with 
two  other  Jews  and  Dr.  Stiles  had  them  put  into  his 
pew.  He  visited  him  again  on  July  5th  of  the  same 
year  and  spent  many  pleasant  hours  with  him  often 
afterwards,  as  we  shall  see  later.  His  relations  to 
wards  other  Jews,  though  not  so  cordial,  were  uni 
formly  friendly. 

A  LETTER  FROM  THE  HOLY  LAND. 

On  March  26th,  1771  (vol.  i.,  p.  97)  he  writes: 
•"  Last  evening  Mr  Isaac  Hart,  a  Jew  of  this  Town, 
sent  me,  to  read,  a  Letter  in  Hebrew  he  lately  re 
ceived  from  Macpelah  in  the  Holy  Land.  .  .  .  [Edi- 


65 

tor's  abridgment.]"  Four  days  later  he  says:  "The 
preceding  letter  contains  a  Represent51  of  the  Jews 
suffering  in  the  holy  Land,  It  is  dated  from  He- 
born\\\  the  year  of  the  Creation  5523  corresponding 
with  A.D.  1763,  Signed  Aaron  Aliphander,  Hijam 
[Hayyim?]  Jeudah  alias  Gomez  Peto,  Isaac 
Hajja  [Hiyya?]  Zabi  the  priest,  Elias  San  of 
Archa,  Phinehas  Mordecai  Bag  Ive  [?]  Abraham  Ge- 
delia  the  younger.  They  represent  that  they  aie 
taxed  or  amerced  25,000  Pieces  of  Eight  &  send  forth 
two  Brethren  to  collect  it  by  contribution.  This 
letter  was  sent  to  Mr.  Isaac  Hart  of  Rhode  Island 

"      Here    again     the     account     breaks   off 

abruptly  and  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  editor  of 
the  Diary  omitted  both  the  Hebrew  of  this  letter  as 
copied  by  Dr.  Stiles,  under  the  first  date  above 
given,  and  the  English  translation  he  made  under 
the  date  of  April  26th  (cf.  vol.  i,  pp.  97  note  2  ;  98, 
102).  The  Isaac  Hart,  here  mentioned,  is  the  same 
Tory  patriot  whose  tragic  death  in  1780,  has  been 
already  described  (see  above,  p.  35). 

It  is  somewhat  difficult  to  identify  all  the  names 
signed  to  the  petition  from  Jerusalem.  The  first  on 
the  list  is  Aaron  Aliphander.  This  I  amend  into 
Aaron  ben  Moses  Alfandari.  He  was  a  Talmudical 
author  who  emigrated  to  Palestine  in  his  old  age  ; 
born  in  Smyrna,  ca.  1700,  and  died  in  Hebron,  in 
1774.  The  bibliographer,  Hayyim  Joseph  David 
Azulai  knew  him  personally,  enumerates  his  works, 
and  recounts  his  antecedents,  according  to  Alfanda- 
ri's  own  testimony,  in  his  Shem  ha-Gedolim  (ed.  Ben 
Jacob,  Wilna  1852,  vol.  i.,  p.  16,  No.  119.  For  other 
data  relating  to  Alfandari,  see  H.  J.  Michael's  Or  ha- 
Hayyim,  Frankfurt  a.  M.,  1891,  p.  144,  No.  302;  and 
the  Jewish  Encyclopedia,  vol.  i.,  N.  Y.  1901,  p.  373* ). 
The  second  name  signed  to  the  petition  may  either 
be  the  Hayyim  Yehudah  mentioned  by  Azulai  (I.e.,  i., 


66 

p.  58,  No.  28),  ora  kinsman  of  Samson  Gomez  Patto,  one 
of  the  Rabbis  of  Jerusalem,  whose  approbation  to 
Hiskiyahde  Silva's  Peri  Hodesh'm  1705  is  cited  by 
Kayserling(S^^tfn#;/z,  Leipzig,  1 859,  p. 260, note).  Dr. 
Stiles,  in  his  accurate  Memoir  of  R.  Isaac  Karigal,  men 
tions  among  his  teachers  the  name  of  R.  Haijm  Jehu- 
dak  Gomez  Pato,  who  is,  unquestionably,  the  same  per 
son  quoted  in  the  letter  (see  Diary,  vol.  i.,  p.  395  and 
Appendix  II.).  The  third  I  cannot  identify  at  all. 
Elias  son  of  Arc  ha  is,  without  doubt,  Elieser  ben 
Ytzhak  ben  Arha,  one  of  the  Rabbis  of  Hebron,  who 
died  and  was  buried  in  that  city,  in  the  same  tomb 
with  Abraham  Azulai,  author  of  Hesed  le-Abraham. 
He  i-s  the  author  of  several  works,  for  the  most  part 
unpublished,  all  of  which  are  enumerated  by  the 
bibliographers  Azulai  and  H.  J.  Michael  (cf.  Shem 
ha-Gedolim,  i.,  p.  23,  No.  186;  Or  ha-Hayyim,  Frank 
furt  a.  M.,  1891,  p.  205,  No.  432).  He  is  not  to  be 
confounded  with  the  Elieser  b.  Archa  mentioned  in 
Fuerst's  Bibliotheca  Judaica,  i.,  232,  who  lived  in  the 
preceding  century.  Who  the  others  are,  I  am  at  a 
loss  to  conjecture.  By  consulting  the  Hebrew  orig 
inal  of  the  letter  preserved  in  the  Diary  in  Ms.,  we 
might  be  enabled  to  trace  the  identity  of  the  Rabbis 
with  more  certainty. 

Two  NEWPORT  JEWS. 

Under  date  of  July  i8th,  1771,  we  find  in  the 
Diary,  (p.  i24)  some  statistical  data  concerning  the 
Jews  of  Philadelphia  which,  together  with  other 
items,  are  relegated  to  Appendix  I.  of  this  paper. 

The  next  entry  gives  us  a  new  name:  "  In  the 
Forenoon  I  went  to  the  Synagogue,"  writes  he  (Feb. 
29th,  1772;  p.  214).  "  In  the  Evening,  though  Sat 
urday  Evening  which  I  keep  as  holy  Time,  Mr. 
Enoc  Lyon  a  Jew  came  to  visit  me  desiring  some  re 
ligious  Conversation.  He  spent  four  hours  with  me 


67 

conversing  upon  the  Things  of  God.  We  freely 
conversed  on  Things  respecting  Judaism  and  Chris 
tianity.  I  shewed  him  from  the  Rabbins,  that  by 
Quotations  from  the  Talmud,  some  of  them  allowed 
the  first  appearance  of  Messiah  was  to  be  in  Humil 
iation  and  particularly  that  they  applied  53d  Chapter 
of  Isaiah  to  Messiah,  Also  that  by  the  Jewish  Writ 
ings  the  Messiah  was  Jehovah  ;  As  he  allowed  orig 
inal  sin  and  the  infinite  Evil  of  sin,  I  labored  to 
shew  the  necessity  of  punishment  in  the  persons  of 
the  sinner,  or  of  him  that  should  bare  the  Iniquities 
&c.  He  allowed  Jesus  to  be  a  holy  and  good  Man 
giving  a  holy  Law.  But  did  not  see  the  necessity 
of  Satisfaction  or  a  Messiah's  Atonement,  God  be 
ing  infinitely  merciful." 

About  a  year  afterwards  (Feb.  22d,  1773;  p.  352) 
he  had  a  similar  conference  with  another  Israelite, 
whose  name  is  not  given  :  "  This  Evening  a  Meet 
ing  of  Young  Men  at  my  House  where  I  discoursed 
to  them  on  Eccles.  xi,  9.  A  Jew  was  present  having 
asked  Leave  ;  he  tarried  with  me  and  we  discoursed 
an  hour  afterwards  concerning  a  suffering  Messiah 
.  .  .  .  (editor's  abridgment)." 

SOME  FEMALE  HEBRAISTS. 

Dr.  Stiles  was  so  profoundly  interested  in  Hebrew 
and  Rabbinic  literature,  that  he  instinctively  looked 
for  such  knowledge  in  others.  In  speaking  of  the 
accomplishments  of  the  different  scholars  he  met, 
he  would  unconsciously  gauge  the  value  of  their 
learning  by  their  proficiency  in  Semitics.  To  this 
curious  predisposition  we  are  indebted  for  the  pre 
servation  of  a  number  of  items  which  would  other 
wise  have  remained  unmentioned.  The  moment  he 
found  some  one  well  versed  in  Hebrew,  he  paid 
his  respects  to  him  in  his  Diary.  Sometimes,  as  in 
the  case  of  William  Olive,  who,  in  1770,  sent  him  a 


68 

letter  half  in  Hebrew  (see  above,  p.  37),  he  suspects 
in  these  Hebraists  Jewish  descent.  There  were 
"  Hebricians,"  as  he  quaintly  calls  them,  in  his  own 
family.  His  wife  and  children  all  took  upon  them 
selves  the  yoke  of  the  Torah,  philologically  speak 
ing.  "  This  day,"  writes  he,  on  April  22,  1788  (vol. 
iii.,.p.  315),  "  my  Wife  finished  Read8  translating  & 
parsing  the  first  Psalm  in  Hebrew.  It  is  about  3 
Weeks  since  she  first  took  the  Hebrew  Alphabet  & 
Grammar  in  hand.  And  she  has  accurately  parsed 
&  resolved  every  word,  looking  out  each  Radix  & 
declining  it."  We  hear  of  her,  later  on,  as  attending 
one  of  his  recitations  in  Hebrew  (vol.  iii.,  p.  526; 
June  25,  1794;  see  supra,  p.  6).  His  son  Ezra,  too, 
seems  to  have  made  some  headway,  if  we  are  to 
credit  the  diarist's  pardonable  boast  (March  n,  1773; 
vol.  i.,  p.  355):  "  This  day  my  son  Ezra  is  fourteen 
years  old :  he  has  read  out  Virgil,  Tally's  Select 
Orations,  &c.  in  Latin — and  in  Greek  the  four  Evan 
gelists  &  Acts — in  Hebrew  48  Psalms"  (see  also 
supra,  p.  50).  About  the  study  of  Hebrew  at  Yale 
College  we  shall  speak  later.  It  is  not  necessary,  in 
this  place,  to  refer  more  fully  to  all  the  "  Hebri 
cians"  and  Orientalists  whose  names  are  honorably 
mentioned  in  the  diarist's  pages.  We  shall  content 
ourselves  with  quoting  the  passages,  which  chronicle 
the  accomplishments  of  women  in  this  field  of  in 
quiry. 

On  the  7th  of  April,  1772,  he  speaks  of  a  He 
brew  and  Greek  Bible  having  been  presented  to 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Russmeyer,  also  a  Hebraist,  "by  a 
German  Countess  who  understood  Hebrew,"  in  1727, 
when  he  was  a  boy  (vol.  i.,  p.  220). 

It  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  refer,  in  this  connec 
tion,  to  other  noted  women,  members  of  royalty 
among  them,  who  were  said  to  have  been  excellent 
Hebraists.  Steinschneider,  in  his  list  of  "  Hebra- 


69 

istinnen"  (Hebraeische  Bibliographic,  vol.   xx.,    1880, 
pp.  65-69),  mentions  over  forty  and  gives  brief  bio 
graphical  details.     To  the  literature  on  the  subject 
may  be  added  the  data  in  Johann  Jacob  Schudt's 
Juedische  Merkwuerdigkeiten,  Supplement  to  vol.  iv., 
Frankfurt-a.-M.,    1717,   p.    27.      Perhaps   the   most 
celebrated  of  them  all  were  Anna  Maria  de  Schur- 
man  (ob.  1675),  the  accomplished  linguist,  and  An- 
tonia,  Princess  of  Wuertemberg,  who  died  in  1699, 
The  latter  was  the  daughter  of  Duke  Eberhard  III. 
of  Wuertemberg  (1629-1674).    Besides  knowing  He 
brew,  she  was  well  versed  in  rabbinic  and  cabalistic 
lore.   Her  praise  has  been  sung  by  many  a  Christian 
Hebraist,  and  there  is  extant  among  the  papers  of 
John  Euxtorf,  who  presented  her  with  a  copy  of 
each  of  his  books,  a  poem  of  24  stanzas  with  her 
acrostic.     She  is  said  to  have  composed  a  series  of 
cabalistic  diagrams  in  Hebrew  and  German,  still  in 
manuscript    (see    Kayserling    in    Jewish    Quarterly 
Review,  vol.  ix.,  1897,  pp.  509  et  seq.;  Jewish  Encyclo 
pedia,  vol.  i.,  1901,  p.  656').     Anna  Maria  von  Schur- 
man,  the  world-renowned  scholar,  was  an  eccentric 
character.     She  was  born  November  5,  1607,  and,  at 
a  very  tender  age,  had  tried  her  skill  in  al]  manner 
of  things.   She  composed  poetry  and  music,  painted, 
engraved  on  copper ;  spoke  Latin  at  the  age  of  seven, 
translated  in  her  tenth  year  Seneca's  writings  into 
Flemish  and  French,  took  up,  in  addition,  the  Greek, 
Spanish,  Italian  and  Hebrew  languages.     She  even 
tried  her  hand  at  Hebrew  poetry.     Several  of  her 
Hebrew  letters  are  contained  in  the  Hebrew  peri 
odical,  Bikkure  ha-Ittim,  1825,  p.  31  et  seq.     She  cor 
responded  with  Manasseh  ben  Israel,  John  Buxtorf, 
and  other  scholars  of  the  period.   Elisabeth,  daughter 
of  Frederick  V.  (died  1680),  who  is  called  "  a  miracle 
of  learned  women,"  and  understood  Hebrew  well, 
was  one  of  her  friends.    In  a  copy  of  David  Kimhi's 


70 

Hebrew  Grammar  (ed.  1651),  formerly  belonging  to 
her,  the  name  of  Manasseh  ben  Israel  (died  1657)  is 
inscribed  (see  Steinschneider,  Cat.  Cod.  Hebr.  Bibl. 
Acad.  Ludg.  Batav.,  Leyden,  1858,  p.  x,  note  i).  She 
remained  unmarried,  and  died  on  the  5th  of  May, 
1675,  in  Vinwarden,  West-Friesland  (see  concerning 
her  Steinschneider's  article  in  Hermann  Gersons 
Mode-Zeitung,  Berlin,  1857,  vol.  *i-»  No.  n,  pp.  175- 
176;  Hebr.  Bibl.,  xx.,  67;  Kayserling's  Life  and  Labours 
of  Manasseh  ben  Israel,  translated  into  English  by 
Rev.  Dr.  F.  de  Sola  Mendes,  in  Miscellany  of  Hebrew 
Literature,  vol.  ii.,  second  series,  London,  1877,  pp. 
1 8,  78-9,  notes  82a-83  ;  Steinschneider  says  that  she 
died  at  Altona  in  1678,  aged  71  years).  Anna  de 
Rohan,  daughter  of  Prince  Renari  de  Rohan  of  Paris, 
who  died  September  20,  1646,  at  the  age  of  62,  is 
spoken  of  as  proficient  in  Hebrew,  and  a  zealous 
student  of  the  Bible  (Schudt,  I.e.). 

Lack  of  space  prevents  a  more  complete  catalogue 
of  noted  female  Hebraists.  The  list  prepared  by 
Steinschneider,  above  quoted,  is  still  the  only  avail 
able  one  on  record,  and  we  beg  to  refer  to  it  for 
particulars  concerning  the  two  score  others  there 
mentioned. 

In  the  Diary,  under  date  of  April  3.  1772  (vol.  i., 
p.  220),  Dr.  Stiles  reports  the  following : 

"There  was  one  Woman  in  New  England  who 
was  an  Hebrician,  perfectly  understanding  the  He 
brew  Bible,  which  she  used  to  carry  with  her  to 
Meeting;  and  also  would  frequently  have  Recourse 
to  it  in  Conversation  with  Ministers.  She  was  taken 
off  a  wreckt  Vessel,  as  I  understand  near  Plymouth 
in  New  England.  After  this  she  returned  to  Eng 
land  while  a  Girl,  and  there  lived  in  a  Jew  Family  and 
was  taught  Hebrew.  After  this  she  returned  to  New 
England  and  settled  and  died  here.  She  married 
Mr.  Parker,  by  whom  she  had  a  Daughter  Paltah 


Parker,  whom  she  named  Paltah  or  the  Deliverance 
of  God  in  memory  of  her  being  saved  from  the 
Wreck.  .  .  .  She  died  about  1722.  ...  I  suspect  there 
is  some  defect  in  the  story — but  I  conclude  so  much 
is  true,  that  she  had  an  Ancestor  brought  tip  in  a 
Jew  Family  and  able  to  read  the  Hebrew  Bible." 

Maria  Antonio  de  Verona,  an  English  Hebraist, 
concerning  whom  information  may  be  obtained 
from  the  Calendar  of  State  Papers  (Domestic  series 
of  the  reign  of  Charles  I.,  ed.  by  J.  Bruce  and 
W.  D.  Hamilton,  vol.  iii.,  (1628-1629),  p.  26;  see 
also  J.  E.  Thorold  Rogers  and  Lucien  Wolf, 
"Antonio  de  Verona,"  in  The  Athenaeum,  Lon 
don,  Sept.  3,  &  10,  1887 ;  apud  Jacobs-Wolf,  Biblio- 
theca  Anglo- Judaica,  London,  1888,  pp.  38,  45,  No. 
234a),  has  written  a  Hebrew  eulogy  of  Charles 
Chauncy,  President  of  Harvard  College,  whom  Dr. 
Stiles  conceived  to  be  "the  most  truly  and  exten 
sively  learned  of  all  the  N.  England  Fathers,  espe 
cially  in  the  Sciences, the  learned  Lan 
guages,  particularly  Greek  &  besides  Hebrew,  its 
several  Dialects  as  Syriac,  Arabic,  Samaritan.  .  .  ." 
(Diary,  vol.  i.,  p.  133;  see  also  the  references  to  him 
in  Index,  vol.  iii.,  p.  582  * ). 

Unfortunately,  the  original  Hebrew  of  Maria  An 
tonio  de  Verona's  panegyric,  composed  in  1626,  has 
not  been  preserved  by  Dr.  Stiles.  The  English 
translation,  written  nearly  a  century  later,  is  copied 
by  the  diarist  under  date  of  Dec.  31st,  1779  (vol.  ii., 
pp.  399-400)  and  reads  as  follows : 

'•CHARLES  CHAUNCY 

ANAGRAM 
His  Shadow  is    Without  Deceit 

Arise  and  look  into  the  Book  this  learned  author  has  written, 
the  pains  he  has  taken  in  it  deserves  a  great  Reward:  Or,  his 
Work  therein  is  its  own  Reward. 

He  is  a  powerful  preacher,   knowledge   proceeds  out  of  his 


73 

month,  he  abounds  in  reproof  proper  to  bring  all  men  to  a  sense 
of  their  Sins. 

He  delights  in  (the)  fear  (of  God  )  he  excels  in  humility,  it  is  his 
delight  to  speak  the  Words  of  Wisdom 

His  name  is  famous  &  renowned  among  the  wise  and  pru 
dent;  he  excels  amongst  the  upright;  &  is  great  and  illustrious 
among  the  Doctors  of  Divines. 

Blessed  is  the  man  who  hearkens  to  the  Instructions  of  his 
s  peech :  for  he  teacheth  sound  Doctrine,  &  all  this  is  the  desire  of 
his  soul. 

He  hath  planted  his  Vine  among  the  learned,  good  works  are 
his  secrets,  he  is  a  man  mighty  in  the  Knowledge  of  divine  things; 
none  is  equal  to  him  in  Scholastic  disputations. 

He  is  just  &  righteous  in  his  Actions,  &  speaks  Truth  from  his 
heart. 

She  was  happy  who  brought  him  forth,  a  person  so  good  & 
wise  as  he  is. 

May  his  days  be  prolonged,  &  those  of  his  Relations:  may  he 
live  to  raise  the  honour  of  his  house;  and  may  they  (or  the  world) 
bless  him  in  the  Name  of  the  Lord. 

In  the  honour  of  Charles  Chauncy,  Written  by  Maria  Antonio 
de  Verona.  An.  1626. 

Translated  by  T.  Russel,  An.  1712." 

To  this  the  diarist  adds  the  information  that  Pres. 
Chauncy  died  at  Cambridge,  Feb.  19,  167^  JE.  82. 
And  so  he  was  JEt  36  when  this  Encomium  was  writ 
ten.  He  came  from  England  to  New  England  after 

i635 '      The  translator  might  have  been  one 

of  his  pupils.  We  have  not  been  able  to  discover  a 
copy  of  the  original  Hebrew  of  the  above.  The 
authoress  deserves  a  place  in  Steinschneider's  cata- 
of  learned  "  Hebricians.  " 

A  WORD  ON  JEWISH  CEREMONIALS  AND  PROSELYTES. 

April  1 8th,  1772  (vol.  v.,  pp.  225-6) : 

A.M.  I  went  to  the  Synagogue,  it  being  HDD  ms?, 
Sabbath  of  the  Passover.  They  read  in  the  Law  the 
passages  which  give  an  Account  of  the  Exodus  and 
Institution  of  the  passover ;  and  also  a  passage  about 
Vth  of  Joshua  concerning  Circumcision  and  rolling 
away  the  Reproach  of  Egypt.  Several  mentioned 


73 

over  the  Names  of  their  dead  friends,  for  whom 
Prayers  were  immediately  made.  Large  offerings  or 
Alms  were  made  to  probably  fourty  dollars  as  one 
of  the  Jews  estimated,  and  I  believe  true ;  for  sundry 
offered  Chai  Livre  i.e.  £\6  or  two  Dollars — and  I 
judge  Mr.  Aaron  Lopez  offered  ten  or  a  dozen  of 
these  Chai.  I  asked  one  when  they  should  have 
Killed  the  Pascal  Lambs  if  they  had  been  at  Jerusa 
lem  ;  he  replied,  too  day  [sic].  But  I  doubt  it;  he 
was  ignorant." 

Aaron  Lopez,  being  the  wealthiest  member  of  the 
Jewish  community,  no  doubt  excelled  all  the  others 
in  his  benefactions  (see  supra,  p.  28  et  seq.). 

On  July  25th  he  writes  that  a  Jew  spent  the 
afternoon  with  him.  Name  and  particulars  are 
not  mentioned,  or  else  the  editor  of  the  Diary  has 
omitted  them.  From  this  Jew,  it  is  evident,  Dr. 
Stiles  derived  his  minute,  though  not  quite  accurate 
information  concerning  certain  observances  among 
the  Jews,  notably  the  Abrahamitic  rite.  We  are  told 
that  his  visitor  was  a  Mokelby  profession,  who  "in 
America  got  a  Living  by  it ;  but  not  so  in  Europe 
where  he  had  no  Fees,  but  accounted  it  an  honor  " 
to  serve,  inasmuch  as  "it  was  highly  rewarded  in 
heaven  "  (pp.  254-256).  Then  follows  an  account  of 
Jewish  proselytes  in  England,  to  whose  admission 
into  the  fold  his  informant  was  an  eye-witness,  In 
stead  of  relegating  the  brief  extract  to  the  Appendix 
(as  promised  above,  on  p.  47),  we  will  quote  it  here 
in  full : 

"He  said  he  knew  one  Family  in  Engl'd  (I  think 
Coventry)  not  of  Jew  Blood,  but  English  &  a  Xtian, 
viz.,  a  Man,  his  Wife  &  two  Daughters — they  came 
to  London  &  he  saw  them  renounce  Xtianity  &  pro 
fess  Judaism,  &  that  they  became  more  strict  in 
daily  Synagogue  Prayers  &c.  than  the  other  Jews. 
He  gave  me  an  Account  &c.  The  Man  was  first  cir- 


74 

cumcised,  afterwds.  baptized  in  a  Bagnio  [bath] — in 
which  there  are  Stairs  to  the  Bottom  where  one 
stands  to  his  Neck  in  Water.  The  Women  were 
baptized  in  the  same  Manner.  I  asked  if  this  was 
performed  in  the  sight  of  the  Congreg.a  He  said  no ; 
but  some  Jewesses  took  the  Women  aside  by  them 
selves  ;  &  so  as  to  the  Man.  He  added,  that  the  more 
strict  Jews,  baptize  religiously  by  trine  Immersion 
three  Times  a  year,  at  Passover,  &  I  think  Pentecost, 
&  Day  of  Atonement:  that  is,  it  is  a  religious  Purifi 
cation  with  them.  But  such  a  Strictness  is  not 
exacted." 

I  have  not  been  able  to  find  any  record  of  this 
event.  Conversions  to  Judaism  in  England  and 
elsewhere  were  not  infrequent.  Altogether,  the  sub 
ject  deserves  fuller  treatment  at  the  hands  of  some 
competent  historian.  Materials  thereto  are  not 
wanting  in  the  invaluable  reference  works  of  Wolf 
and  Schudt.  The  most  celebrated  instance  of  such 
a  proselyte  in  England  is  that  of  the  unfortunate 
nobleman  and  zealot,  L,ord  George  Gordon,  the 
leader  of  the  "  No  Popery  Riots/'  now  universally 
known  through  Charles  Dickens'  thrilling  romance, 
Barnaby  Rudge.  James  Picciotto,  in  his  excellent 
Sketches  of  Anglo-Jewish  history  (London,  1875,  pp. 
183-189;  ch.  xxiii.),  does  him  full  justice.  We  are 
told  that  he  rigorously  underwent  all  the  rites  im 
posed  upon  proselytes  before  he  was  admitted  within 
the  pale  of  Judaism.  He  acquired  some  knowledge 
of  the  Hebrew  language  and  of  Jewish  ceremonies ; 
attended  divine  service,  where,  upon  being  honored 
with  a  benediction  at  the  reading  of  the  Law,  he 
offered  £100  as  a  gift  to  the  Hambro  Synagogue  in 
London.  He  lived  as  a  Jew  until  December,  1787, 
when  he  was  apprehended  at  the  house  of  an  Israel 
ite  in  Birmingham  on  the  charge  of  "promoting 
mutiny  and  sedition  and  of  undermining  the  laws 


75 

of  his  country."  He  was  condemned  to  two  years' 
imprisonment  and  a  fine  of  £500  for  libelling  the 
Queen  of  France,  and  to  an  additional  term  of  three 
years  for  another  political  offence,  besides  being 
compelled  to  furnish  bond  for  £10,000  to  keep  the 
peace.  His  religious  zeal  suffered  no  abatement,  for 
he  issued  political  pamphlets,  interspersed  with 
Scriptural  texts,  levelled  at  the  King  and  the  State, 
while  he  was  confined  in  prison.  Nor  was  he  lax  in 
the  observances  imposed  by  his  new  faith.  He 
prayed  every  morning  with  the  phylacteries  on  his 
arm  and  head,  and  with  a  quorum  of  ten  Polish 
Jews,  two  of  whom  had  agreed  to  bail  him  out  on 
another  occasion  (though,  ludicrously  enough,  they 
were  penniless),  he  held  Sabbath  services  in  his  cell. 
Inscribed  on  its  walls  weie  the  Ten  Commandments, 
along  with  the  Talith  and  Tefillin  as  adornments. 
His  diet  was  strictly  rite,  and  when,  on  the  18th  of 
January,  1793,  he  appeared  in  court  to  give  satisfac 
tory  guarantees  for  his  future  good  behavior,  he 
wore  a  huge  patriarchal  beard,  and  though  enjoined 
to  remove  his  large  slouched  hat,  he  refused  to  un 
cover,  as  being  contrary  to  his  religious  scruples. 
The  hat  being  forcibly  removed,  he  deliberately 
donned  a  white  cap  which  he  had  in  reserve.  His 
two  Hebrew  friends  failing  to  redeem  their  pledge 
and  not  having  the  amount  necessary  to  safeguard 
his  liberty,  he  was  again  committed  to  prison,  where 
he  died,  some  say  of  a  fever,  others,  of  a  broken 
heart,  in  November  of  the  same  year,  aged  forty- 
three  years.  This  is  the  romantic  story  in  a  nutshell, 
some  details  of  which  are  still  further  embellished 
by  England's  greatest  novelist,  who  introduces  a 
Jewish  heroine  into  the  drama.  The  chief  elements 
in  the  above  narrative  are  true,  and  are  vouched  for 
by  Picciotto  and  other  trustworthy  historians.  Rob 
ert  Watson  wrote  a  readable  biography  of  this 


76 

Quixotic  character  two  years  after  his  decease,  in 
1795  (see  Wolf- Jacobs,  Bibliotheca  Anglo -Judaica,  p. 
1  32,  No.  999). 

We  hear  of  another  candidate  seeking  admission 
into  the  Jewish  fold  in  London  at  about  the  same 
time :  A  certain  L,ouis  da  Costa,  a  native  of  Portu 
gal,  appeared  in  1789  before  the  Wardens  of  the 
Bevis  Marks  Synagogue,  stating  that  he  was  desir 
ous  of  being  admitted  to  the  Covenant  of  Abraham; 
that  he  had  sailed  in  a  ship  from  Bordeaux  to  Am 
sterdam  for  that  purpose ;  that  the  vessel  had  been 
wrecked  off  Dover,  and  he  begged  to  be  dispatched 
to  Amsterdam  to  fulfil  the  longings  of  his  heart. 
The  petition  was  refused  (see  Picciotto,  op.  cit.,  p. 
188). 

There  seem  to  be  no  evidences  of  such  conversions 
in  America.  The  one  curious  exception  is  that  of 
Warder  Cresson  of  Philadelphia,  who  was  a  fervent 
nationalist,  and  who  became  zealous  in  the  advocacy 
of  Jewish  colonization  in  Palestine.  His  agricultural 
projects  (as  part  of  his  Zionist  propaganda)  are  set 
forth  by  Mr.  Max  J.  Kohler  in  the  Publications  of  the 
American  Jewish  Historical  Society,  No.  8,  pp.  81-83 
(to  the  authorities  there  cited  add  the  communica 
tion  from  Philadelphia  published  in  the  Israelite, 
Cincinnati,  1863,  vol.  x.,  No.  12,  pp.  92-93,  and  a  bio 
graphical  sketch  by  Herbert  Friedenwald  in  the 
Jewish  Comment,  Baltimore,  1901).  After  his  conver 
sion  he  called  himself  Michael  Boaz  Israel.  He  was 
a  prolific  writer  on  his  favorite  theme  of  Jewish 
Restoration  to  Palestine,  and,  in  1851,  he  published 
his  reasons  for  becoming  a  Jew.  He  had  been 
United  States  Consul  at  Jerusalem  prior  to  his  change 
of  faith,  and  familiarity  with  Eastern  conditions,  no 
doubt,  convinced  him  of  the  efficacy  of  the  work 
which  he  afterwards  undertook.  His  earnest  and 
unselfish  labors  on  behalf  of  his  new  spiritual  kin- 


77 

dred  should  merit  more  recognition  than  has  been, 
hitherto,  accorded  him. 

To  return  to  the  Diary:  On  July  27th,  1772  (p.  256), 
Dr.  Stiles  writes :  "  It  is  customary  with  the  Jews 
for  Parents  to  lay  their  hands  on  the  Heads  of  their 
Children  and  give  them  their  Blessing.  If  it  be  a 
son,  the  father  laying  his  hand  upon  him  says  .... 
*  The  Lord  make  thee  as  Ephraim  and  Manasseh.' 
Gen  xlviii,  20.  If  a  Daughter  '  The  Lord  make  thee 
as  Sarah,  Rachel  and  Leah/  This  is  frequently  done 
at  Meals  and  Friday  Evening  after  Supper,  when 
the  Children  come  to  the  parent  for  the  Blessing.  I 
have  seen  old  Mr.  Moses  Lopez  do  it  to  his  Boys  in 
the  Synagogue,  after  Service." 

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL 

Among  a  packet  of  pamphlets,  sent  to  the  diarist 
(July  21st,  1772;  vol.  i.  p.  252)  by  a  friend,  is  men 
tioned  "  A  Tract  of  Abram  Jagel  the  Son  of  Hananiah 
Entituled,  Good  Doctrine,  lately  translated  by  a 
Jew  in  New  York." 

The  author's  full  name  is  Abraham  Yaghel  ben 
Hananyah  De'Galicchi  (or  Gallichi),  of  Monselico, 
Italy,  who  flourished  in  the  last  decades  of  the  XVIth 
century.  He  has  often  been  confounded  with  Camillo 
Yaghel,  the  apostate  who,  as  early  as  1611,  was  offi 
cial  Censor  of  Hebrew  books.  There  are  numerous 
editions  of  his  famous  Hebrew  Catechism,  Lekah 
Toby  some  undated  ones  appearing  as  early  as  1587 
and  1595  (see  the  bibliographic  data  in  Steinschnei- 
der's  Cat.  Bod  I.,  col.  694 ;  his  Jewish  Literature,  Lon 
don,  1857,  p.  224;  J.  Fuerst,  Bibliotheca  Judaica,  vol. 
ii.,  Leipzig,  1851,  pp.  10-11;  D.  Oppenheimer,  in 
Hebraeische  Bibliographic,  vii.,  1864,  pp.  19-20;  and 
especially  vols.  xix.,  1879,  p.  56,  note;  xxi.,  1881,  pp. 
76-79.  Dr.  S.  Maybaum  has  written  a  separate 
monograph  on  Yaghel's  Catechism,  in  German,  a 


78 

few  years  ago.  See  also  the  interesting  remarks  of 
Mortara,  in  his  Indice  Alfabetico  dei  Rabbini  e  Scrittori 
israeliti  .  ...  in  Italia,  Padova,  1886,  pp.  25-26,  note^). 
Several  German  and  Judseo-German  versions  are 
mentioned  by  bibliographers,  and  it  is  interesting 
to  note  that  the  first  L,atin  translation  was  printed 
in  London  in  1679,  octavo.  The  translator  was  L. 
Compeigne  de  Veil,  M.A.  Jacobs-Wolf  in  their 
Bibliotheca  Anglo- Judaica,  p.  116,  No.  788,  have  the 
following  entry : 

Catechismus  Judaeorum  in  disputatione  et  Dialogo  Ma- 
gister  ac  discipuli  scriptus  a  Rabbi  A  brahmo  Jagel.  1 2mo, 
58pp.  Hebrew  and  English.  1679.  Neither  title  nor 
format  corresponds  to  the  one  described  by  Fuerst 
(I.e.).  Are  they  identical?  The  English  version, 
published  (anonymously?)  in  London  1721,  is  prac 
tically  unknown  to  bibliographers.  According  to 
S.  van  Straalen  (Catalogue  of  Hebrew  Books  in  the 
British  Museum  acquired  during  the  years  1868- 
1892,  London,  1894,  p.  72)  the  title  is: 

The  Jews'  Catechism,  containing  the  thirteen  articles  of 
the  Jewish  religion  ;  formerly  translated  out  of  Hebrew 
(into  Latin  by  L.  Compeigne  de  Veil,  and  thence  into  the 
English),  xx,  168  pages  octavo  (see  also  BibL  Anglo- 
Judaica,  p.  223,  No.  2076*). 

This  translation  was  made  from  the  Latin,  not  the 
Hebrew,  and  it  would  be  important  to  ascertain 
whether  the  American  edition,  alleged  to  have  been 
prepared  by  a  Jew  in  New  York,  is  merely  a  reprint 
of  it  or  is  an  original  work.  In  any  case,  it  is  an 
important  item  in  American  Jewish  bibliography. 

THE  RABBIS  WHOM  DR.  STILES  KNEW. 

Being  a  zealous  Hebraist  and  ever  eager  to  seek 
for  fresh  corroborative  proof  of  New  Testament 
truths  from  "the  Rabbins,"  it  is  but  natural  that  he 
sought  out  an  occasional  learned  visitor  to  Newport, 


79 

whose  superior  knowledge  of  Jewish  tradition  would 
inevitably  be  enlisted  in  aid  of  his  untiring  quest  for 
the  Messianic  interpretation  of  Prophecy.       A  Jew 
come  to  town  was  a  great  event  for  Dr.  Stiles,  especis 
ally  if  the  Jew  happened  to  be  a  rabbi, "a  truly  pious 
man."     Upon  hearing  of  the  new  arrival,  he,  impa 
tient  of  a  formal    introduction,  would  sometimes 
honor  him  with  a  visit,  as  we  shall  see  later  on,  and 
an  exchange  of  amenities   would    follow  which    is 
quite  refreshing  to  note  in  a  man  otherwise  so  ortho 
dox  in  his  views.     It  forms  a  new  chapter  in  the  his 
tory  of  Literary  Friendships  between  Jews  and  Gen 
tiles,  instances  of  which  are  pointed  out  by  Schudt, 
in  several  places  in  his  learned  compendium,   Jue- 
dische  Merkwuerdigkeiten,  and   later  writers  (see   for 
bibliography   on  the  subject,  Steinschneider  in  He- 
braeische  Bibliographic,  vol.  xi.,  1871,  pp.    52-54;    xxi.> 
1881-82,   pp.  6 1  et  seq.\  80-1 ;  94;    Berliner's  mono 
graph  Persoenliche  Beziehungen   zwischen  Christen   und 
Juden  im  Mittelalter,  Halberstadt,  1881,  29  pp.  octavo  ; 
Guedemann,  Geschichte  des  Erziehungswesens  und  der 
Cultur  in  Italien  waehrend  des  Mittelalters,  Vienna,  1 884, 
pp.  23-26;   104-106;  137-140;   150-54;  155;  156;  I59>  note> 
161  ;   168;    226-29;    238;    275;    276.     I.    Abrahams, 
Jewish  Life  in  the  Middle  Ages,    1896,    ch.    xxiv,   pp. 
419-23;  Jewish  Encyclopedia,  vol.  i.,  New  York,  1901, 
pp.  53,  75,  99;  120,  122,  412,  562-4;  see  also  my  arti 
cle  "  An   Unpublished   Chapter  on    Books,"  in   the 
AMERICAN  HEBREW,  Dec.  6,  1901,  p.  72).     The  history 
of  such  friendships  is  yet  to  be   written   and   Ezra 
Stiles  will  be  awarded  an  honored  place  in  its  pages* 
"  Upon  Recollection,"  says  the  diarist  (vol.  iii.,  p. 
77;  July  5,  1783),  "I  find  I  have  been  acquainted 
with  six  Rabbis 

R.  Moses  Malki  in  1759. 

R.  Moses  Bar  David   [Ashkenazi],   aet   52,   i772, 
Nov. 


8o 

R.  Haijm  I.  Karigal,  set  40,  1773,  June. 

R.  Tobiah  Ben  Jehudah,  set.  48,  1773,  Nov. 

R.  Bosquila  1773  or  1774  [set.  61,  June  15,  1774]. 

R.  Samuel  Cohen  [set.    34,   June   29,   1775,   first 

mentioned  in  Diary,  vol.,  i.,  p.  578]." 
The  first  one  on  the  list,  according  to  information 
given  in  a  note  by  Prof.  Dexter,  w^  in  New 
port  in  December,  1759.  He  was  born  a  :.i  educated 
at  Saphet  (Saphed)  in  the  Holy  Land  and  there  are 
preserved  among  Dr.  Stiles'  papers  some  data  sup 
plied  by  his  Jewish  friend.  A  search  thiough  the 
unpublished  correspondence  of  the  diarist  may  re 
veal  something  more  of  this  Rabbi's  identity.  The 
name  Malki  is  quite  uncommon  in  Jewish  litera 
ture.  That  of  Ezra  ben  Raphael  Malki  ('ata),  broth 
er-in-law  of  Hiskiyah  deSilva  (cf.  supra,  p. 66),  is  the 
only  one  mentioned  by  bibliographers.  He  is  the 
author  of  a  number  of  works,  and  Azulai  says  (Shem 
ha-Gedolim,  part  ii.,  No.  133)  that  the  last  years  of 
his  life  he  spent  as  rabbi  of  the  congregation  in 
Rhodes  (see  also  Steinschneider,  Catalogus,  p.  973 ; 
Zedner's  Catal.  of  the  Hebrew  Books  in  the  ....  Brit 
ish  Museum,  London,  1857,  p.  508  ;  he  spells  the  name 
Malc'i;  Fuerst,  Bibliotheca  Judaic  a,  vol.  ii.,  p.  320). 

Of  R.  Moses  bar  David,  we  have  more  particulars. 
The  first  entry  concerning  him  in  the  Diary  is  on 
Nov.  9th,  1772  (vol.  i.,  p.  299) : 

"  This  Forenoon  I  visited  a  learned  Jew  in  Town 
and  on  his  Travels.  He  is  really  a  Rabbi.  His  title 
is  ....  [editor's  abridgment]  'The  Doctor  our 
Doctor  the  great  Rabbi,  Moses  the  Son  of  David  an 
Ashcanazin  of  little  Poland,  of  the  holy  Synagogue 
at  Apta.'  He  is  now  ALt.  52  born  at  Apta  in  Poland 
..."  Here  the  editor  of  the  Diary  again  omits 
what  would  seem  to  be  a  personal  account  of  the 
rabbi.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  Dr.  Stiles  vis 
ited  R.  Moses  first.  Nor  was  his  Jewish  friend 


wanting  in  courtesy  for  he  returned  the  call  the 
same  day : 

"In  the  Afternoon  Rabbi  Moses  came  to  my  house 
in  Company  with  Huzan  Touro  of  this  Town.  We 
had  much  Conversation  both  of  his  Travels  and  on 
the  Talmud  and  Rabbinical  Literature.  I  shewed 
him  the  Zohar,  with  which  he  was  delighted,  speak 
ing  with  raptures  of  the  Sublimity  and  Mysteries  of 
its  Contents  ;  he  told  me  if  I  could  comprehend  that 
Book  I  should  be  a  Master  of  the  Jewish  Learning 
&  of  the  greatest  philosophy  in  the  World.  ....'. 
[editor's  abridgment]." 

Three  days  afterwards  this  disciple  of  the  Kabalah 
spent  the  afternoon  with  him  (ibid.,  p.  300)  and  on 
the  23d  and  30th  of  the  same  month  and  on  Dec.  /th, 
the  visit  was  repeated  (cf.  Lc.,  pp.  303,  322).  On  Nov. 
23d  we  read  : 

"  This  afternoon  visited  by  Rabbi  Moses  and  Mr. 
Tauro  [sic\.  The  Whimsical  Visionary  though  I 
hope  honest  Mr.  Pipels  being  present,  I  told  Rabbi 
Moses  that  this  Man  had  seen  Visions  of  Angels. 
.  .  .  .  R.  Moses  smiled  and  Mr.  Pipels  began  to  relate 
his  Bxtraordinaries  with  Warmth.  R.  Moses  asked 
him  the  Color  of  the  Angel,  said  he  was  mistaken 
as  to  his  vision,  for  that  he  was  the  Angel  that  ap 
peared  to  him,  but  was  sure  he  told  him  no  such 
Thing.  This  humor  &  sarcasm  toutched  and  a  little 
confounded  Mr.  Pipels  who  after  some  Talk  took 
L,eave  and  departed  to  cross  the  ferries  and  return 
to  Pennsylvania.  R.  Moses  spent  the  rest  of  the 
Afternoon  in  my  study,  explaining  the  Zohar  to  me 
.  .  .  .  This  day  I  paid  for  my  Zohar  22/6  sterling" 
[see  supra,  p.  53].  This  account  is  abridged  by  the 
editor  in  two  places ;  no  doubt  the  subject  of  their 
discussions  was  described  at  length  in  the  original 
manuscript.  The  object  of  the  rabbi's  satire  was 
Mr.  Jacob  Pipels,  an  old  man,  aged  73  years,  who 


82 

hailed  from  Shippensburg,  Pennsylvania,  an  Irish 
man,  who  came  to  America  in  1736  and  seems  to  have 
been  a  spiritualist.  His  fancies  and  hallucinations 
are  reported  in  detail  in  the  Diary  (I.e.  pp.  300-302). 
He  expected  to  attain  the  age  of  218  years  and  to 
witness  "some  great  purposes,  particularly  .  .  .  the 
return  of  the  Jews,  the  Fulness  of  the  Gentiles  and 
Downfall  of  Anti-Christ."  Such  mystics  were  at 
large  in  different  parts  of  New  England,  and  some 
curious  examples  of  their  conceits  and  vagaries  are 
preserved  in  this  contemporaneous  chronicle.  The 
most  grotesque  personality  of  all  seems  to  have  been 
a  woman,  Jemina  Wilkinson  by  name,  who  had 
many  followers  and  concerning  whom  much  has  been 
written  (see  Cleveland's  History  of  Yates  County,  N.  Y., 
vol.  i.,  pp.  38-138  ;  Literary  Diary,  vol.  ii.,  pp.  374, 
380-2;  510-11;  vol.  iii.,  pp.  289-90;  334).  She  be- 
Ueved  herself  to  be  "the  son  of  Gd  and  the  Messiah  re- 
appears  in  flesh"  and  preached  her  ravings  about,  as 
successfully  as  her  contemporary  Johanna  South  - 
cote,  in  England,  an  aged  lunatic,  heralding  herself 
forth  as  the  destined  mother  of  a  yet  unborn  Mes 
siah  (concerning  the  latter  see  the  London  Quarterly 
Review,  vol.  xxiv.,  p.  496;  McClintock  and  Strong's 
Cyclopedia,  s.v.,  vol.  ix.,  pp.  896-7  ;  and  Lord  Byron's 
Vision  of  Judgment,  stanza  xxviii,  with  note  thereto). 
She  died  in  1815. 

Being  somewhat  of  a  mystic  himself,  Dr.  Stiles 
was  profoundly  interested  in  visionaries,  though  he 
did  not  care  to  admit  it  and  condemns  all  these 
pseudo-prophets  in  no  uncertain  tones.  He  was  fas 
cinated  by  the  doctrines  of  the  Zohar,  which,  in  com 
mon  with  most  scholars  of  the  age,  he  believed  to 
have  been  composed  by  Simeon  ben  Yohai  (see 
^upra,  pp.  20,  21,  52,  53)  and  he  loved  to  penetrate 
into  its  lore  with  the  aid  of  his  Jewish  friends.  Nov. 
23d  and  25th,  1772  find  him  deep  in  study  :  "  This 


Forenoon  I  spent  reads  Dionysius  Areopag.  whom  I 
find  to  have  the  same  sublime  mysteries  as  the 
Zohar." 

In  R.,  Moses,  he  seems  to  have  found  his  affinity  so 
far  as  fondness  for  the  Kabalah  is  concerned.  On 
the  8th  of  Dec.  he  had  the  last  interview  with  him 
and  "conversed  much  upon  the  Messiah"  (p.  322) ; 
on  the  14th  the  rabbi  sailed  for  the  West  Indies 
(entry  under  same  date  in  Diary,  I.e.),  having  so 
journed  altogether  about  five  weeks  in  Newport. 

In  view  of  the  vast  number  of  rabbis  and  scholars 
bearing  the  name  Ashkenazi  and  hailing  from  Poland 
or  Russia,  an  attempt  at  identification  would  be  a 
thankless  task.  The  diarist  was  so  exact  in  his 
statements,  especially  when  furnishing  biographical 
data,  that  it  is  safe  to  assume,  that  had  the  rabbis 
whom  he  met  written  any  books,  he  would  have 
mentioned  them.  That  would  have  made  identifi 
cation  comparatively  easy.  As  it  is,  the  meagre 
items,  given  here  and  elsewhere,  pertaining  to  the 
rabbis  and  laymen  with  whom  he  had  come  into 
contact,  will  have  to  suffice  until  fresh  material,  pos 
sibly  accessible  among  his  unpublished  papers,  is 
forthcoming. 

"  He  now  [1773]  commenced"  says  Holmes,  his 
son-in-law  and  biographer  (Life  of  Ezra  Stiles,  Bos 
ton,  1798,  p.  1 68  et  seq.), "  an  acquaintance  with  Haijm 
Isaac  Carigal,  a  Jew  rabbi,  who  had  lately  come  to 
Newport.  Having  travelled  very  extensively  in  the 
eastern  world,  and  being  a  man  of  observation, 
learning,  and  intelligence  ;  his  conversation  was 
highly  entertaining  and  instructive.  He  was  born 
at  Hebron,  and  educated  there  and  at  Jerusalem. 
He  had  travelled  all  over  the  Holy  Land,  and  had 
visited  Damascus,  Aleppo,  Grand  Cairo,  Bagdat, 
Ispahan,  Smyrna,  Constantinople,  Salonica,  Rome, 
Florence,  Bologna,  Venice,  Vienna,  Prague,  Paris, 


84 

London.  The  Doctor  was  greatly  delighted  with 
his  society,  and  had  frequent  interviews  with  him, 
for  the  purpose  of  acquiring  the  pronunciation  of  the 
Hebrew  ;  of  ascertaining  the  meaning  of  ambiguous 
expressions,  in  the  original  of  the  Old  Testament ; 
of  learning  the  usages  of  the  modern  Jews  ;  of  con 
versing  on  past  events  relating  to  this  extraordinary 
nation,  as  recorded  in  sacred  history  ;  and  of  tracing 
its  future  destiny,  by  the  light  of  prophecy.  They 
cultivated  a  mutual  friendship  while  together,  and 
corresponded  in  Hebrew  when  apart.  One  of  the 
Doctor's  Hebrew  letters  on  the  divinity  of  the  Mes 
siah,  and  the  glory  of  his  kingdom,  consisted  of 
twenty-two  quarto  pages. 

"The  rabbi,  not  long  after  his  arrival,  attended 
his  worship,  by  agreement,  and  heard  him  discourse, 
in  an  affectionate  manner,  on  the  past  dispensations 
of  God's  providence  toward  his  chosen  people;  on  his 
promised  design  of  rendering  them  an  exalted  nation* 
in  the  latter  day  glory  of  the  Messiah's  kingdom  : 
and  on  the  duty  of  Christians,  and  of  all  nations,  to 
desire  a  participation  in  their  future  glorious  state. 
The  rabbi  had  never  heard  a  Christian  preach  a  ser 
mon  before.  Though  he  attended  church  at  St. 
Peter's,  in  Rome  ;  at  St.  Paul's,  in  London  ;  at  Venice, 
and  various  other  places ;  and  had  been  at  the  Chris 
tian  churches  in  Jerusalem,  he  never  heard  any  ser 
vice,  excepting  prayers. 

"So  catholic  was  the  intercourse  between  this 
learned  Jew,  and  learned  Christian  !  They  often 
spent  hours  together  in  conversation  and  the  inform 
ation,  which  the  extensive  travels  of  the  Jew  en 
abled  him  to  give,  especially  concerning  the  Holy 
Land,  was  a  rich  entertainment  to  his  Christian 
friend.  The  civilities  of  the  rabbi  were  more  than 
repaid.  The  Doctor  very  frequently  attended  the 
worship  of  the  synagogue,  at  Newport,  not  only 


85 

while  Rabbi  Carigal  officiated,  but  at  the  ordinary 
service,  before  his  arrival,  and  after  his  departure. 

"With  six  [five;  see  the  list  above]  other  rabbis 
of  less  eminence,  he  became  acquainted  and  showed 
them  every  civility  ;  while  he  maintained  a  friendly 
communication  with  the  Jews  in  general,  at  New 
port.  Such  rare  and  unexpected  attentions,  from  a 
Christian  minister  of  distinction,  could  not  but  afford 
peculiar  gratification  to  a  people,  conscious  of  being 
a  'proverb  and  a  by- word  among  nations.'  To  him, 
they,  accordingly,  paid  every  attention,  in  return  ; 
and  expressed  a  peculiar  pleasure,  in  admitting  him 
into  their  families  and  into  their  synagogue. 

"  His  civilities  and  Catholicism  toward  the  Jews, 
are  worthy  of  imitation.  It  is  to  be  feared,  that 
Christians  do  not,  what  ought  to  be  done,  toward  the 
conversion  of  this  devoted  people.  While  admitted 
into  most  countries  in  Christendom,  for  the  pur 
poses  of  trade  and  commerce,instead  of  being  treated 
with  that  humanity  and  tenderness,  which  Chris 
tianity  should  inspire,  they  are  often  persecuted,  or 
contemned  as  unworthy  of  notice  or  legard.  Such 
treatment  tends  to  prejudice  them  against  our  holy 
religion,  and  to  establish  them  in  their  infidelity. 
Besides  this  '  the  study  of  the  Hebrew  language  hath 
been  too  much  laid  aside,  and  we  have  by  that  means, 
been  less  able  to  convince  the  Jews.  It  is  certain 
that  this  study  hath  not  only  been  neglected,  but 
ridiculed  ;  whereas  nothing  could  be  of  greater  use 
to  us  than  a  great  skill,  not  only  in  the  Biblical  He 
brew,  but  the  Rabbinical  and  Talmudical  also,  to 
enable  us  to  convince  the  Jews.  By  such  a  skill  we 
might  be  enabled  to  use  their  own  weapons  against 
them ;  and  to  dispute  against  them  from  the  avowed 
principles  of  their  ancient  wise  men,  for  whom  they 
are  prone  to  profess  a  profound  regard.'  Such  was 
the  use  which  the  Doctor  made  of  his  Hebrew  learn- 


86 

ing."  (See  also  Hannah  Adams'  History  of  the  Jews 
from  the  Destruction  of  Jerusalem  to  the  Present  Time, 
London  ed.,  1818,  pp.  461-63  ;  my  notes  in  Publica 
tions  of  the  Jewish  Historical  Soc.,  No.  3,  pp.  122-125 
and  the  authorities  there  mentioned  ;  No.  6,  p.  79 ; 
No.  8,  pp.  121,  124-5.) 

The  foregoing  summary  of  the  relations  between 
these  two  divines  is  perhaps  not  as  full  as  it  should 
be,  in  view  of  the  wealth  of  material  which  may  be 
found  collected  under  one  caption,  in  Appendix  //., 
but,  owing  to  exigencies  of  space,  it  is  not  possible 
here  to  do  more  than  to  hurry  over  the  points 
elaborately  set  forth  in  the  subjoined  chapter,  bear 
ing  upon  the  Rabbi's  personality,  his  correspondence 
with  the  diarist,  and  some  minor  details  appertain 
ing  to  the  subject.  For  other  essential  features  of 
this  remarkable  friendship  the  reader  is  referred  to 
the  chronicler's  own  words  which  render  the  record 
of  this  mutual  kinship  far  more  valuable  than  a  gen 
eral  resume  by  another  hand  would  be. 

The  first  reference  to  Carigal  in  the  Day-Book  is 
under  date  of  March  5th,  1773  and  the  last  mention 
of  him  is  on  November  3d,  1775.  Altogether,  the 
rabbi's  stay  in  Newport  did  not  exceed  five  and  a 
half  months,  during  which  time  he  does  not  seem  to 
have  left  the  city  once.  From  the  wonderfully  ac 
curate  chronological  Memoir  of  the  rabbi,  given  in 
the  Diary  under  date  of  July  7th,  1773,  it  appears 
that  besides  travelling  extensively  through  the 
Orient,  he  visited  Italy,  Austria,  Germany,  Holland 
and  England,  and,  what  seems  to  be  a  very  impor 
tant  fact,  that  he  made  two  previous  journeys  to 
America;  one  in  1761,  when  he  officiated  for  two 
years  in  Curacoa,  W.  I.,  in  place  of  the  rabbi  who 
was  finishing  his  studies  abroad,  and  another  in 
1771,  to  Jamaica,  where  during  a  residence  of  only 
twelve  months,  he  is  said  to  have  been  able  to  save 


as  much  as  one  thousand  dollars  out  of  his  earnings, 
certainly  not  as  rabbi,    to  send  to  his  wife  in  Pales 
tine.     From   the  West   Indies  he  travelled   in  the 
summer  of  1772  to  Philadelphia,  and  thence  to  New 
York,  staying  about  six  and  a  half  months  in  both 
places,  and  arriving  at   Newport,  March  3d,    1773 
(according  to  a  previous  entry  in  the  Diary,  vol.  i.,  p. 
354,  the  rabbi  arrived  on  March  4th).     He  seems  to 
have  had  a  desire  to  live  in  the  West  Indies,  for  after 
a  brief  sojourn   in  Newport,  not  as  the   officially 
recognized  spiritual  head  of  the  Jewish  community, 
but  as  its  guest,  he  returned  to  Barbadoes  by  way 
of   Surinam,    where   he   died,  about  1778,   aged   46 
years,  having  been  born  in  1733.     Dr.  Stiles. gives  a 
very  full  account  of  his  studies  and  travels;  names 
all  his  teachers  some  of  whom  may  be  identified  by 
bibliographers;  mentions  the  cities  and   countries 
he  visited,     including  two    journeys  to    London, 
where,  we  are  told,  he  earned  the  respectable  salary 
of  ;£ioo  sterling  as  teacher  at  the  "  Bit  Madrash  "  / 
refers  to  his  family,  living  at  Hebron,  consisting  of 
a  wife  and  two  children,  a  son  and  a  daughter  ;  and 
scatters,  here  and  there,  other  bits  of  curious  infor 
mation  regarding  his  Jewish   friend,  which   attests 
his  keenness  of  sight  and  his  extraordinary  zeal  for 
accuracy.    With  an  eye  for  things  singular  and  pic 
turesque,  he  describes  with  much  evident  relish  the 
rabbi's  person,  his  official  and  ordinary   habit  and 
gives  such  minute  details  of  dress  as  even  a  woman 
might  envy.     That  portion  of  the  Diary  is  quite  an 
interesting  contribution  to  Jewish  Costumkunde  and, 
if  space  allowed,  I  would   be   tempted  to  quote   the 
passage  in  full  (I.e.,  pp.  362-363).     He  makes  many 
curious  statements  which  others  would  call  absurd 
in  this  connection,  as  for   example  that  the  rabbi, 
on  the  eve  of  Purim  (March  8th,  1773),  wore  phylac 
teries  and  "the  white  silk  Surplice,"  or   Tallith  (p. 


354;.  and  "other  Jewish  Talismans"  (p.  362;.  The 
most  conspicuous  article  of  dress  the  rabbi  wore, 
was  the  enormous  headgear,  which  Dr.  Stiles  de 
scribes  as  a  "high  brown  furr  cap,  exactly  like  a 
Womans  Muff,  and  about  9  or  10  inches  high"  (pp. 
354,  363),  in  evidence  on  all  occasions,  even  in  the 
synagogue. 

The  diarist's  first  impression  of  him  seems  to 
have  been  quite  favorable.  "He  is  a  large  man, 
neat  and  well  dressed  in  the  Turkish  habit,"  says 
the  author,  and  comments  on  the  rabbi's  "ingeni 
ous  and  sensible "  appearance.  "He  had  a  long 
black  Beard,"  says  he  later  on,  "the  upper  lip  partly 
shaven — his  Head  shaved  all  over."  That  does  not 
seem  plausible,  in  view  of  the  rabbi's  piety  ;  it  is 
more  likely  that  he  was  bald  and  wore  the  ungainly 
sable  helmet,  which  is  to  be  seen  in  his  portrait,  to 
disguise  this  deficiency.  As  to  his  upper  lip  being 
partly  shaven,  it  is  very  evident  by  looking  at  the 
likeness  before  us,  that  his  moustache  was  of  a  ten 
der  growth.  This  is  all  that  the  author  has  to  tell 
us  as  to  his  physical  appearance.  The  rest  may 
easily  be  supplied  by  the  reader,  who  scans  the  rab 
bi's  physiognomy,  which  he  now  has  the  opportunity 
of  doing  for  himself.  It  is  an  expressive,  intelli 
gent  face;  the  forehead  broad  and  receding;  the 
ears  large,  the  eyes  somewhat  dreamy  and  lustre 
less  ;  the  beard  apparently  well  trimmed  and  taper 
ing  to  a  point.  He  seems  to  be  attired  in  a  coat  of 
many  colors,  fitting  closely  to  the  neck,  where  it  is 
relieved  by  a  white  collar,  or  narrow  scarf,  as  also 
at  the  cuffs,  which  are  trimmed  with  some  white 
material.  Perhaps  the  most  remarkable  feature  of 
all  is  the  hand,  whose  delicately  shaped  fingers  are 
almost  like  a  woman's.  The  pose  is  one  nat 
ural  to  a  scholar,  who  is  about  to  expound  with  up 
lifted  forefinger  some  intricate  passage  from  an 


open  book,  possibly  a  volume  of  the  Talmud,  which 
he  holds  on  the  palm  of  his  left  hand.  He  looks  to 
be  of  powerful  build  and  there  is  a  kindliness  and  a 
suspicion  of  benevolence  lurking  about  his  lips, 
which  would  bespeak  him  a  gentle  temper,  quite  in 
accord  with  the  tidings  his  Christian  biographer 
gives  of  him.  The  portrait  of  Rabbi  Karigal,  as  the 
diarist  sometimes  spells  his  name,  is  mentioned  (vol. 
iii.,  p.  94),  by  him  on  September  iQth,  1783,  as  be 
ing  in  the  college  library  at  Yale.  Upon  inquiry  I 
was  told  by  Prof.  F.  B.  Dexter,  of  that  University, 
and  editor  of  the  Literary  Diary,  that  it  was  no 
longer  there.  He  referred  me  to  the  Rev.  J.  L,. 
Jenkins,  of  Jamaica  Plain,  Mass,  a  great-grandson  of 
Dr.  Stiles,  in  whose  posession  the  portrait  now  is, 
and  to  whose  kindness  I  am  indebted  for  the  privi 
lege  of  reproducing  it  in  this  place.  In  answer  to 
my  request  to  furnish  me  with  some  account  of  this 
rare  and  interesting  relic  he  wrote  as  follows  :  "The 
picture  I  have  of  the  Rabbi  is  an  oil  painting  —  what 
I  think  is  called  life  size.  ...  I  fear  I  shall  not  suc 
ceed  in  describing  it.  It  has  been  greatly  admired 
and  much  curiosity  has  been  felt  as  to  who  painted 
it  and  where.  The  robe  of  the  rabbi  is  red  and  his 
fur  head  dress,  such  as  Rev.  Stiles  called  a  'lady's 
muff.'  On  the  painting  is  the  following  inscription 
—  part  of  it  shows,  I  think  on  the  photograph  you 
had  made  : 

I<ABBI  RAPHAEL  HAIJM  ISAAC  HARGAL 
Born  at  Hebron  educated  there  and  at  Jerusalem 


MDCCLXXII 


I  know  little  of  the  painting  itself.  In  my  child 
hood  it  was  in  the  home  of  my  grandmother,  Rev- 
Stiles'  daughter  Emelia  [vide  vol.  iii.,  p.  633*  of  the 
Diary,  for  references  to  her],  and  was  some  years 
ago  given  to  me.  At  one  time  it  was  sent  to  .... 


Copyright,  1902,  by  GEORGE  ALEXANDEK  KOHUI. 

RABBI   HAYYIM   ISAAC    CAHIGAL. 
(1772.) 


Boston  to  be  restored  and  it  attracted  much  atten 
tion.  It  is  not  known  who  painted  it.  It  is  thought 
I  believe  to  have  been  painted  in  Europe." 

If  the  date  1772  on  the  painting  is  genuine,  it 
might  have  been  done  by  an  artist  in  New  York,  for 
he  was  in  that  city  during  six  months  of  that  year, 
having  come  direct  from  Jamaica.  As  to  the  spell 
ing  of  his  name  on  the  portrait,  it  is  significant  to 
note  that  in  no  other  instance  is  he  called  Raphael, 
and  Hargal  is  possibly  the  phonetic  form  of  Car  gal 
(see  above  Satius  for  Seixas,  p.  53).  Dr.  Stiles  him 
self  spells  it  variously,  and  the  title-page  of  one  of 
the  Rabbi's  sermons,  done  into  English  by  Abraham 
Lopez,  Newport,  1773,  has  the  form  Karigzl.  Fur 
thermore,  we  find  the  following  spelling  by  bibliog 
raphers  :  Karigol,  Carregal  and  Kragol  (see,  besides 
the  sources  mentioned  in  my  essay,  Publications  of 
the  American  Jewish  Historical  Society,  No.  3,  p.  123  ; 
Zedner's  Catalogue,  pp.  167,  182).  Our  Rabbi  was, 
most  probably,  the  son  of  R.  Hayyim  Moses  ben 
Abraham,  a  prolific  author,  who  flourished  in  Pal 
estine  at  the  beginning  of  the  XVIIIth  century, 
and  who,  strangely  enough,  is  omitted  in  Azulai's 
Shem  ha-Gedolim.  The  only  other  Karigal  6tttKlp) 
known  to  bibliographers  (vide  Michael's  Or  ha- 
Hayyim,  p.  108,  No.  220)  is  Abraham  Karigal,  a  con 
temporary  of  Mardokhai  ha-Levi  of  Kahira,  Egypt, 
in  whose  collection  of  Responses  called  Darke  Noam, 
Venice,  1697-98,  §§  46  and  52,  his  name  is  mentioned. 
He  was,  in  all  likelihood,  the  grandfather  of  our 
Rabbi. 

Dr.  Stiles  seems  to  have  stood  in  some  awe  of  his 
friend's  learning,  and  records  with  much  wonder 
ment  that  he  began  his  studies  at  the  age  of  seven 
and  that  in  his  seventeenth  year  he  was  ordained 
Rabbi.  Carigal  understood,  besides  Hebrew,  his 
native  tongue,  both  vulgar  and  classical  Arabic  (the 


latter  not  so  well),  the  Syriac  and  Chaldaic  dialects 
and  Spanish.   It  is  plausible  to  suppose  that  he  spoke 
English,  too,  for  it  is  hardly  possible  that  the  diar 
ist,  however  proficient  in  Hebrew,  could  carry  on  an 
intelligent  conversation  in  the  holy  tongue  with  aTal- 
estinean  Rabbi.  Of  Spanish,  as  he  himself  confessed 
upon  one  occasion,  when  listeni  g  to  his  friend's  dis 
course  in  the  synagogue  (p.  377),  he  understood  very 
little ;  it  is,  therefore,  not  unlikelythat  the  Rabbi,  who 
had  spent  some  years  in  England  prior  to  his  com 
ing  to  America,  spoke  to  his  Christian  friend  in 
English.     Apart  from  the  experience  derived  from 
his  extensive  travels,  this  itinerant  Maggid  was  a 
man  of  deep  culture,  and  orthodox  as  he  was  in  his 
religious  views,  he  had  catholic  sympathies-     He 
once  told  Dr.  Stiles  (cf .  p.  387)  that  "  he  wished  well 
to  others  besides  his  own  Nation,  he  loved  all  Man 
kind,"  quoting  Leviticus  xix.  18  in  support  of  his 
liberal   opinions.     His  wisdom   and  diffidence   are 
more  than  once  praised  by  his  f  iend,  who  never 
tires  of  adding  yet  another  sheaf  to  the  harvest  of 
his  tribute.     He  gives  an  interesting  account  of  the 
Rabbi's  style  as  an  orator,  his  fervor  and  vehemence 
in  a  discourse  of  three-quarters  of  an  hour  being  par 
ticularly  noted  ;   criticises  his  manner  of  reading 
and  his  pronunciation  of  Hebrew  as  compared  to 
Hazzan  Touro's,  and  vouchsafes  us,  now  and  then, 
a  glimpse  into  their  more  intimate  moods  and  con 
ferences.     It  is  impossible  to  summarize,  however 
briefly,  all  that  the  Appendix  (No.  II.)  holds:   the 
visits  they  exchanged,  the  topics  they  discussed,  the 
letters  they  wrote  when  together  and  apart,  some  of 
the  diarist's  being  quite  voluminous,  even  after  Car- 
igal  had,  so  to  speak,  completely  passed  out  of  his 
life.      This   latter  phase,  their  correspondence   in 
Hebrew,  will  be  duly  considered  by  the  present 
writer  in  another  place.     It  remains  to  be  said,  in 


93 

conclusion,  that  it  was  Carigal's  intention  to  settle 
in  Antigua,  W.  I.,  after  leaving  Newport,  there  be 
ing  at  that  time,  according  to  his  own  knowledge, 
three  Rabbis  settled  in  the  New  World,  "one  in 
Jamaica,  another  at  Surinam,  and  another  at  Eusta- 
tia  or  Curacoa"  (p.  392).  Carigal's  farewell  visit  to 
Stiles  sounds  a  tender  note:  He  "took  leave  of  me 
very  affectionately,"  writes  the  diarist  (pp.  399-400), 
"praying  God  to  bless  me.  I  told  him  I  parted  from 
him  with  great  Reluctance,  and  should  ever  retain 
an  affection  for  him — that  it  was  probable  we  might 
never  see  each  other  in  the  Land  of  the  Living  and 
wished  we  might  after  Death  meet  together  in  the 
Garden  of  Eden.  .  .  .  He  wished  me  reciprocally  and 
my  Family  every  blessing  and  ....  said  he  loved 
me  from  the  heart,  had  my  Name  in  his  Book,  and 
should  send  it  to  Jerusalem,  where  I  should  be  soon 
known  as  I  was  here." 

The  Rabbi's  book  is,  no  doubt,  lost  to  the  world, 
but  the  memory  of  the  man  he  would  fain  have 
honored  is  preserved  along  with  his  own  aere  peren- 
nius  ! 

The  fourth  on  the  list  of  the  diarist's  Rabbinical 
acquaintances  is  ^?.  Tobiah  Ben  Jehudah.  He  first 
met  him  on  visiting  the  synagogue,  November  19th, 
1773,  on  which  date  he  writes  that  he  "  was  intro 
duced  to  a  new  Rabbi  from  Poland."  Three  days 
afterwards  we  read  :  "Visited  this  Afternoon  by 
Rabbi  Tobiah  Bar  [sic]  Jehudah  late  from  [blank 
space  follows]  near  Cracow  in  Poland  aet.  48.  We 
had  much  Conversation  on  the  Zohar.  .  .  ."  The 
following  day  we  are  told  that  the  Rabbi  called 
again,  but  Dr.  Stiles  was  not  at  home,  and  being  a 
man  very  punctilious  in  matters  of  courtesy  and 
etiquette,  the  visit  was  returned  before  many  hours 
had  passed.  The  Rabbi  appears  to  have  been  a 
guest  of  Mr.  Touro's,  the  Reader  of  the  synagogue, 


94 

for  it  was  there  that  the  author  paid  his  respects  to 
the  Rabbi  and  honored  them  with  his  company  at 
supper.  It  being  "  the  only  Time"  he  "ever  hap 
pened  at  Meal  with  a  Jew,"  the  impression  made 
upon  him  on  that  occasion  is  of  more  than  passing 
interest.  ''Just  before  they  sat  down  to  supper 
Water  was  bro't  by  the  Maid,  in  a  white  earthern 
Bottle  which  stood  in  a  Vase  or  Bason  :  they  two 
washed  their  hands,  taking  up  the  bottle  and  pour 
ing  the  Water  on  the  hand.  I  asked  if  this  was 
^30  (because  the  Baptists  say  this  word  denotes  total 
not  partial  Immersions)  they  said  yes — &  quoted  a 
passage  of  the  Talmud  that  none  can  eat  till  they 
had  thus  washed  themselves  in  which  I  recollect  the 
word  t>3B  was  twice  repeated.  I  did  not  wash,  but 
sat  down  &  eat  with  them.  After  sitting  each  in  a 
whispering  voice  said  Grace  for  himself.  The  Rabbi 
said,  that  in  the  days  of  Messiah,  it  would  be  allowed 
to  the  Jews  to  eat  Swines  Flesh — .  I  said  that  Abra 
ham,  Isaac  and  Jacob  when  they  come  with  Messiah, 
would  not  eat  Food  as  formerly  ;  he  said  they  would 

I  asked  him  the  Value  of  a  couple  of  Pearls 

I  had  &  of  the  dimensions  I  described  ;  he  said  if 
good,  500  Ducats  which  is  about  £100  sterling.  .  .  . 
He  is  a  great  Cabbalist  and  Philosopher ;  which  two 
Branches  of  knowledge  are  far  more  to  his  Tast 
than  the  Talmud.  He  has  a  son  of  about  13  years 
age — when  aet.  12  he  had  read  thro'  the  Talmud. 
This  Rabbi  was  educated  and  spent  26  years  in 
Amsterdam,  whither  he  was  sent  aet.  8.  He  told  me 
was  of  the  Family  and  ninth  Descendant  of  R. 
Selomoh  Ishaaci  the  celebrated  Commentator  who 
died  A.D.  1180"  (cf.  pp.  421  and  422). 

Such  amenities  between  Jews  and  Gentiles  were 
not  so  isolated  as  one  might  suppose  ;  many  in 
stances  illustrative  of  this  interchange  of  civilities 
in  all  ages  are  pointed  out  by  Israel  Abrahams,  in 


95 

his  fascinating  book  on  Jewish  Life  in  the  Middle 
Ages,  Philadelphia,  1896,  pp.  422-29.  A  striking  ex 
ample  is  that  ot  John  Buxtorf,  senior  (1564-1629), 
the  distinguished  Christian  Hebraist,  who,  from  the 
year  1617  on,  gave  one  or  two  Jewish  scholars,  to 
gether  with  their  families,  food  and  lodging.  On 
one  occasion,  Abraham  b.  Elieser  Braunschweig, 
his  collaborator  on  the  Basel  edition  of  the  Bible, 
invited  him  to  be  present  at  the  initiatory  ceremonies 
of  his  eight-day-old  son.  He  came  attended  by  his 
son-in-law  and  two  other  citizens,  all  of  whom  were 
heavily  fined  for  the  offense  ;  the  father  of  the  in 
fant  had  to  pay  400  gulden,  Buxtorf  100  and  the 
others,  in  lieu  of  money,  had  to  suffer  a  three  days' 
imprisonment  (cf.  the  article  in  Literaturblatt  des 
Orients,  1847,  P-  811;  Steinschneider,  Hebr.  BibL, 
vol.  xxi.,  p.  99,  and  sources  cited).  A  Jew  of  Frank 
fort  in  the  i8th  century  stood  god-father  to  a  Chris 
tian  child  (Schechter,  Studies  in  Judaism,  p.  354),  and 
Schudt  relates,  that  being  called  to  account  for  this 
breach  of  law,  the  Christian  parent  blandly  admitted 
that  he  appointed  the  Jew  to  that  sacred  office  sim 
ply  to  wheedle  him  into  giving  a  silver  cup  for  a 
baptismal  gift  (Pathen-Geschenk].  This  same  author 
tells  us  moreover,  that  at  the  beginning  of  the  same 
century,  on  the  island  of  Zante,the  relations  between 
Greeks,  Romans,  Englishmen  and  Jews  were  of 
so  cordial  a  nature,  that  a  Jew  was  often  asked  to  be 
god-father  to  a  Christian  child  (see  Juedische  Merk- 
wtierdigkeiten,  1715,  vol.  i.,  p.  223,  where  authorities 
are  given). 

In  the  above  account,  here  and  there  curtailed  by 
the  editor  of  the  Diary,  we  have  a  curious  resume  of 
the  Rabbi's  accomplishments  and  ancestry.  That 
he  was  a  descendant  of  Rashi  (who,  by  the  way,  died 
in  1105  not  1 1 80)  need  not  be  seriously  considered  ; 
Jews  were  never  sure  of  their  lineage  and  genealog- 


96 

ical  trees,  improvised  to  order,  were  a  pastime  for 
the  most  scrupulous  of  them.  They  loved  to  date 
back  their  lineage  to  some  distinguished  scholar  and 
this  is  but  another  instance  of  such  conceits. 

Dr.  Stiles  was  naturally  more  interested  in  him 
because  of  his  leaning  towards  mysticism  than  he 
otherwise  would  have  been.  Being  a  "great  Cab- 
balist  and  Philosopher,"  he  made  good  his  oppor 
tunity  and  inquired  into  such  things  for  example  as 
alchemy  and  other  trancendental  lore  (vide  vol.  ii., 
pp.  173-74;  iii.,  348,  470,  etc.).  On  one  occasion 
(July  ist,  1777)  he  seems  to  have  felt  the  need  of 
apologizing  for  his  interest  in  such  subjects  and 
states  most  emphatically  that  he  is  no  "Adept"  of 
what  he  terms  the  "Rosacrucian  Philosophy,"  adding 
this  bit  of  information  touching  our  rabbi:  "The  only 
Man  that  I  ever  suspected  as  a  real  &  true  Adept 
was  Rabbi  Tobias  [sic]  of  Poland,  but  he  evaded  my 
Interrogatives  &  communicated  to  me  nothing — I 
believe  he  was  only  a  conjectural  speculative  Phil 
osopher"  (cf.  vol.  ii.p.  174).  Of  another  man,  whom 
he  believed  to  be  an  "adept,"  he  says  (ibid.,  p.  216) 
that '  'he  might  have  passed  among  the  Chemists  for  a 

DK>  hyi  .  .  ." 

The  evening  of  the  30th  of  November  he  again 
spent  in  the  Rabbi's  society  "at  Mr.  Touros,"  and  he 
records  the  fact  that  the  former  preached  on  Nov. 
20th,  27th,  and  December  4th.  The  last  time  he  too 
attended,  and  heard  him  discourse  in  Dutch  for  56 
minutes  (ibid.,  p.  423).  The  visit  of  this  Polish  Rab 
bi  put  him  in  mind  of  his  friend  Carigal  for  on  the 
3d  of  December  he  finished  a  Hebrew  letter  of  22 
pages  to  him. 

Now  we  come  to  the  fifth  rabbi,  whose  name  the 
diarist  has  preserved  in  his  journal.  The  single 
reference  to  him,  under  date  of  June  15th,  1774 
(ibid.,  p.  443)  is  as  full  as  one  may  expect : 


97 

"Yesterday,  visited  a  new  Rabbi  come  to  Town. 
Rabbi  Bosquila  from  Smyrna  in  the  Levant  where 
he  was  born  and  educated.  He  resided  with  his 
Family  14  years  in  London,  is  now  aet.  61,  for  many 
years  has  followed  Traffic  &  laidaside  his  rabbinical 
Studies.  He  says  he  has  not  read  the  Talmud, 
which  I  was  surprised  at,  as  by  the  Certificate  under 
the  hand  of  a  London  Rabbi  he  appears  to  be  indeed 
a  Rabbi— but  he  has  read  the  Zohar.  The  Bible 
and  Zohar  he  is  versed  in  and  few  other  Books. 
He  is  of  contracted  and  limited  Literature— he  is 
among  the  Rabbins,  as  a  Minister  whose  Reading 
has  been  limited  to  the  Bible  and  Willards 
[Ridglys]  Body  of  Divinity  among  the  Ministers  of 
New  England." 

The  Bibliotheca  Anglo-Judaica  does  not  mention 
either  Bosquila  or  Carigal,  though  both  of  them 
claimed  to  have  spent  some  years  in  London,  the 
latter  as  teacher  at  a  Beth  ha-Midrash  (see  above]. 
The  name  itself  is  quite  unique,  in  its  peculiar  or 
thography  in  Jewish  literature.  It  is  possible  that 
here,  too,  we  have  a  case  of  phonetic  spelling,  and 
that  Bosquila  is  identical  with  Boshal.  Such  an 
identification  is  made  plausible  not  only  by  the  var 
ious  ways  in  which  that  name  is  pronounced  (see 
Steinschneider  Bodleian  Catalogus,  p.  1780,  No.  6440), 
but  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  both  our  Rabbi  Bosqui 
la  and  Moses  ben  Solomon  dei  Boshal  (or  Buschal) 
hail  from  Smyrna.  The  latter  flourished  about  the 
middle  of  the  XVIIth  Century  (see  the  bibliograph 
ers)  and  the  date  of  Bosquila's  birth  is  1713.  There 
is  no  other  known  person  bearing  that  name. 

The  last  one  of  the  six  Rabbis,  whom  the  diarist 
knew  personally,  was  Rabbi  Samuel  Cohen,  who  is 
mentioned,  under  date  of  June  29th,  1775  (ibid.,  p. 
578),  as  arrived  from  Jerusalem  3^  years  ago.  Him 
too,  as  was  his  custom,  the  worthy  Doctor  visited 


98 

first.  The  call  was  soon  afterwards  returned  by  the 
Rabbi,  in  company  with  the  Reader  of  the  syna 
gogue,  who  seems  to  have  taken  all  such  dignitaries 
of  the  temple  under  his  wing.  The  Rabbi  is  "set, 
34,"  writes  the  diarist  (ibid.,  p.  584)  on  July  10th ; 
"  was  born  &  educated  in  the  Holy  Land,  &  came 
from  Hebron  about  3  years  ago.  He  is  a  Priest,  be 
ing  of  the  Family  of  Aaron.  Very  agreeable.  His 

learning  rather  general  than  profound "     The 

account,  owing  to  exigencies  of  space,  breaks  off 
again  abruptly,  and  the  only  other  items  recorded 
of  his  Jewish  friend  are  that  the  latter  preached  in 
the  synagogue  on  the  occasion  of  the  Continental 
Fast  ordered  by  Congress  at  Philadelphia  and  ap 
pointed  by  Proclamation  by  the  General  Assembly 
of  the  Colonyjuly  20, 1775  (p. 591);  and  that  he  visited 
him  August  16th  (p.  601),  after  the  Rabbi  had  paid 
his  respects  to  him  some  three  weeks  before  (July 
26th,  p.  594).  Their  chief  topic  of  conversation  was 
on  some  seeming  inconsistencies  of  the  Biblical 
code,  the  decipherment  of  certain  rock-inscriptions 
on  Mt.  Sinai  and  some  minor  points  in  the  topog 
raphy  of  Jerusalem — all  of  which  are  too  unimpor 
tant  to  be  reproduced.  During  the  Rabbi's  residence 
at  Newport  he  attended  worship  once,  on  the  15th 
of  July  (p.  585). 

This  is  the  long  but  uniformly  interesting  story 
of  the  literary  friendship  between  Ezra  Stiles  and 
the  six  Jewish  wise  men  from  the  East,  whose  name 
and  fame  are  so  faithfully  chronicled  for  righteous 
ness  in  the  journal  of  one  of  the  most  learned  and 
loyal  Americans  in  New  England.  It  forms  a  pre 
cious  chapter  in  the  history  of  human  culture. 


FURTHER  PROGRESS  IN  SEMITICS  AND  THE  STUDY 
OF  HEBREW  AT  YALE. 

The  arrival  of  Rabbi  Carigal  in  Newport  was  an 
epoch  in  the  life  of  Dr.  Stiles.  It  was  not  without 
influence  upon  his  Hebrew  studies.  At  the  very 
first  interview  with  his  Jewish  friend  be  conversed 
on  the  difference  of  the  dialects  of  the  Chaldee, 
Syriac,  and  Rabbinical  Hebrew,  on  the  Targums, 
Talmud  and  kindred  subjects  (vol.  i.,  pp.  357-8). 
Before  long  we  find  him  corresponding  at  length  in 
fluent  Hebrew  and  filling  a  score  of  quarto  pages, 
addressed  to  the  Rabbi,  with  a  dissertation  on  the 
divinity  of  the  Messiah,  composed  in  the  sacred 
tongue  (see  supra,  p.  84).  This  interesting  corres 
pondence,  together  with  other  Hebrew  and  Arabic 
papers,  are  preserved  among  his  literary  remains  at 
the  Yale  University  Library  and,  it  is  to  be  hoped, 
will  soon  be  made  accessible  by  the  present  writer 
elsewhere.  They  afford  ample  material  for  a  spe 
cial  chapter,  setting  forth  the  attainments  of  Dr. 
Stiles  in  Hebrew  and  other  Semitic  languages.  On 
the  19th  of  June  1773  (vol.  i.,  p.  388)  he  finished 
reading  Abulfeda's  Description  of  Africa  in  Arabic  ; 
on  December  loth,  then  entering  into  his  46th  year, 
he  "began  to  read  a  daily  portion  of  theTargum  of 
Onkelos  in  Chaldee"  (ibid.  p.  424);  on  the  31st  he 
wrote  another  long  letter  of  29  pages  in  Hebrew  to 
Rabbi  Carigal  and  he  records  the  interesting  fact 
that  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Locke,  President  of  Harvard 
College,  whom  he  lauds  as  a  "Hebrician,"  made  an 
"Oration  in  Chaldee  at  the  first  public  Commence 
ment  after  his  Election  to  the  Presidency,"  which  he 
heard  (p.  390).  At  one  of  these  academic  functions 
in  July,  1773,  there  was,  besides  the  other  scholastic 
tournaments,  "a  Dialogue  in  Arabic"  (p.  400)  which 
speaks  well  for  the  Oriental  department  of  that  in- 


100 

stitution.  January  i8th  of  the  following  year  finds 
him  examining  the  Syriac  translation  of  the  New 
Testament  (p.  431);  February  2d,  the  Targum  on 
Psalm  XLV.  (p.  435),  and  by  the  14th  of  May,  he 
"finished-reading  the  Targum  on  the  last  16  Chap 
ters  of  Isaiah  by  Jona  Ben  Uzziel"  (p.  440).  On 
November  i6th  he  consults  the  Targum  on  Zech- 
ariah  (p.  476) ;  on  the  18th  he  is  busy  comparing 
New  Testament  passages  in  Syriac  (p.  485);  and  on 
the  1 6th  of  December  he  records  with  much  joy  the 
receipt  of  a  batch  of  Rabbinical  commentaries  from 
New  Haven  via  New  York,  and  adds  that  he  has 
now  "a  feast  of  Hebrew"  (pp.  501-2).  On  February 
15th,  1775  he  is  reading  a  dissertation  "on  the  He 
brew  Points,"  concerning  the  antiquity  of  which  he 
addresses  a  letter  to  a  tutor  at  Yale.  A  copy  of  this 
is  preserved  among  his  papers  (p.  517).  March  23d 
finds  him  deep  in  the  perusal  of  "the  History  of 
Hai  Ebn  Yohdhan,  written  in  Arabic  by  Abu  Jaafar 
Ebn  Tophail  about  A.D.  1150"  (p.  528).  On  May 
18th,  having  finished  the  Bible,  he  began  again  with 
critical  reference  to  the  Greek  and  Hebrew  versions 
and  occasional  use  of  the  Zohar,  the  Syriac  text  and 
the  Rabbis  (p.  555).  His  critique  of  the  compara 
tive  utility  of  all  these  aids  to  interpretation  (pp. 
556-58;  591-2)  is  highly  entertaining.  On  July 
iQth  he  is  writing  another  letter  in  Hebrew  to  his 
friend  Carigal  (p.  589);  on  the  2/th  he  is  "reading  in 
the  Talmud"  (p.  594).  Then  follows  quite  a  signifi 
cant  pause  in  his  Oriental  studies,  owing,  no  doubt, 
to  the  strenuous  times  through  which  the  country 
was  then  passing.  On  the  nth  of  July,  1778,  he 
resumes  his  pastime,  for  such  it  was  to  him,  only 
now  his  attention  turns  to  Armenian  (vol.  ii.,  p. 
282)  instead  of  Syriac. 

On   the    27th   he   enters   upon   a   new   phase    of 
his    scholastic    career    as   teacher    of    Semitics    at 


IOI 


Yale.  Though  this  service  was  not  required  of 
the  college  president,  he  volunteered,  wishing 
to  benefit  the  college  to  the  utmost  of  his  power. 
The  entry  he  makes  in  his  Day-Book  under  this 
date  is  highly  interesting,  inasmuch  as  he  makes 
us  acquainted  with  some  "Hebricians"  among  the 
tutors  and  students,  the  latter  numbering  a  little 
over  a  score,  all  mentioned  by  name.  The  3ist  of 
the  month  finds  him  duly  installed  in  his  new  dig 
nity  (ibid.,  pp.  290-291).  A  little  less  than  a  year 
afterwards  (June  28,  1779  ;  ib.,  p.  350)  a  Hebrew 
oration  is  a  feature  of  the  exercises  connected  with 
the  public  examination  of  the  candidates  for  the  de 
gree  of  A.  B.  at  Harvard  College.  On  the  30th  he 
jots  down  some  complacent  reflections  on  the  excel 
lent  progress  made  by  the  freshmen  in  Hebrew.  "I 
began  with  the  Alphabet"  says  he  "&  carried  the 
whole  Class  thro'  more  or  less  accordg  to  their  Arriv 
als.  I  divided  them  into  2  parts — one  have  recited 
the  first  &  part  of  the  2d  psalm  ;  the  other  &  prin 
cipal  part  have  finished  translating  the  seven  first 
psalms  and  parsed  the  first  &  part  of  the  2d  psalm." 
No  wonder  then,  that  in  the  full  glow  of  pride,  he 
should  exclaim  :  "I  do  not  find  that  any  Class  have 
been  carried  thro'  half  so  much  these  many  years" 
(p-  35°)-  For  over  a  year  we  hear  nothing  more  of 
his  classes;  on  July  24th  1780  (p.  452)  the  freshmen  are 
again  under  his  charge  in  Hebrew  and  it  would  seem 
from  an  entry  in  the  Diary,  under  date  of  August 
2ist,  that  they  had  a  daily  recitation  (p.  459).  The 
next  year  he  began  his  instruction  on  June  20th, 
only  half  of  the  Freshman  Class  participating  (p.  541). 
On  September  12th,  1781,  though  "  in  constant 
fear  that  Commencement  will  be  interrupted  by  the 
Enemy,"  elaborate  exercises  were  held,  which  were 
all  the  more  interesting  because  it  was  the  first 
public  ceremony  after  an  intermission  of  seven 


102 

years.  The  duties  of  the  President  on  that  occasion 
were  arduous,  including  "an  Oration  upon  the  Ori 
ental  Learning,  in  Hebrew,  Chaldee  and  Arabic." 
The  manuscript  of  this  Hebrew  oration,  we  are  told 
by  the  editor  of  the  Diary  (p.  554,  note  2),  is  preserved 
among  Dr.  Stiles's  papers.  It  appears  that  it  had, 
originally,  been  written  in  1778,  this  being  the  first 
opportunity  for  its  delivery.  That  day  must  have 
been  a  great  intellectual  feast  for  Dr.  Stiles.  On 
the  10th  of  October  he  is  deep  in  the  Babylonian 
Talmud  (p.  558),  and  January  4th,  1782,  finds  him 
engaged  in  teaching  "  two  Hebrew  Classes  at  sep 
arate  Recitations"  (vol.  iii.,  p.  1).  The  study  of 
Hebrew  at  Yale  seems  to  have  been  encouraged  by 
a  special  endowment-fund  of  "  £22  Silver  Money 
per  ann.  to  the  President  &  Fellows  of  Yale  College 
for  ....  a  Professorship  of  Hebrew  and  other  Ori 
ental  Languages."  The  donor  was  the  Rev.  Richard 
Salter  (Diary,  May  15th,  1781;  vol.  ii.,  p.  533;  vol. 
iii.,  p.  262).  On  the  afternoon  of  a  hot  summer  day, 
July  22,  1782,  Hebrew  recitations  were  resumed 
(ibid.,  vol.  iii.,  p.  32);  on  the  following  day  he  in 
structed  two  classes,  and  thenceforth  two  Hebrew 
exercises  a  day  were  quite  the  rule  (ibid.,  pp.  33,  36, 
51,  81,  88,  89,  90  et  passim).  Sometimes,  in  his  zeal 
for  Hebrew  studies,  he  taught  three  hours  at  a 
stretch  (p.  88).  By  the  3d  of  September,  1783  (p.  91), 
the  Freshmen  had  gone  through  three  Psalms  in 
the  original.  The  next  year  there  were  several 
flourishing  Hebrew  classes  (p.  127).  In  the  mean 
while  the  diarist  sought  recreation  in  reading  Ethi- 
opic  texts  (p.  117)  and  acquiring  French  (p.  130), 
besides  indulging  in  occasional  disquisitions  upon 
Biblical  themes,  quoting  all  the  learned  data  at  his 
command.  Sometimes,  too,  as  in  vol.  iii.,  p.  88,  he 
calls  our  attention  to  Semitic  scholars  and  Oriental 
ists,  concerning  whom  the  present  writer  has  a  word 


to  say  in  another  place.  We  even  hear  of  a  balloon- 
ascension,  the  chief  attraction  of  which,  to  the  diar 
ist,  appears  to  have  been  "  a  flag  of  the  United 
States,"  with  the  legend,  "  Nil  Intentatum  nostri 
liquere  afixed  to  it  in  seven  different  Languages — 
viz  Latin  Greek,  Hebrew,  Chaldee,  Arabic  French 
&  German"  (May  10,  1785;  vol.  iii.,  p.  161).  Prizes 
were  evidently  offered  to  Hebrew  classes  as  an  in 
ducement  to  study  (ibid.,  p.  134),  although  the  Doc 
tor's  own  children,  out  of  pure  devotion,  read  their 
Bible  through  five  and  six  times,  as  in  the  case  of 
his  two  daughters,  17  and  19  years  old  respectively 
(ibid.}.  The  Hebrew  recitations  were  continued  at 
regular  intervals.  On  one  day  the  journal  records 
three  exercises.  It  is  needless  to  do  more  now  than 
refer  to  the  entries  on  the  subject  of  the  progress 
of  his  classes,  the  quotations  being  altogether  too 
numerous  to  reproduce  (See  pp.  141,  144,  148,  164, 

167,  174,  175,  176,  183,  200,  232,  234,  236,  237,  255,  257, 

258,  267,  270,  271,  272,  273,  275,  276,  278,  279,  etc.,  etc.). 
Occasionally  a  tutor  examined  his  Freshmen  in  the 
sacred  tongue  (cf.  p.  272).  It  is  not  to  be  assumed 
that  Dr.  Stiles's  pupils  were  all  enthusiasts  in  their 
work.  Quite  to  the  contrary.  We  have  on  record  a 
characteristic  confession  from  the  pen  of  one,  who 
was  then,  in  1788,  a  Senior,  and  who  (the  Hon.  Jer 
emiah  Mason)  writes  thus  in  his  Autobiography: 
"  During  our  Senior  year  ....  the  President  insisted 
that  the  whole  class  should  undertake  the  study  of 
Hebrew.  We  learned  the  alphabet,  and  worried 
through  two  or  three  Psalms,  after  a  fashion  ;  with 
the  most  of  us  it  was  mere  pretense.  The  President 
had  the  reputation  of  being  very  learned  in  He 
brew,  as  well  as  several  other  Eastern  dialects.  For 
the  Hebrew  he  possessed  a  high  veneration.  He 
said  one  of  the  Psalms  he  tried  to  teach  us  would 


104 

be  the  first  we  should  hear  sung  in  heaven,  and  that 
he  should  be  ashamed  that  any  one  of  his  pupils 
should  be  entirely  ignorant  of  that  holy  language  " 
(Diary,  vol.  iii.,  p.  306,  note  2). 

The  diarist  was  too  sagacious  not  to  know  that 
his  students  were  not  all  uniformly  devoted  to 
Semitics.  On  June  3oth,  1790,  he  writes  under  the 
burden  of  this  knowledge  :  "  From  my  first  Acces 
sion  to  the  Presidency  1777  to  1790  I  have  obliged 
all  the  Freshmen  to  study  Hebrew.  This  has 
proved  very  disagreeable  to  a  Number  of  the  Stu 
dents.  This  year  I  have  determined  to  instruct  only 
those  who  offer  themselves  voluntarily,  and  that  at 
subsecivis  horis  only  without  omitting  any  of  the 
three  daily  classical  Recitations  to  their  Tutor. 
Accordingly  of  39  Fresh.  22  have  asked  for  Instruc 
tion  in  Heb.  and  these  Accordingly  I  teach  at  iv. 
P.M.  Mondays,  Wednesdays,  Fridays.  I  have  be 
sides  several  of  the  other  classes  at  other  times'* 
(ibid.,^.  397).  And  yet,  despite  the  revolt  against 
the  study  of  Hebrew,  some  of  the  students  gained 
proficiency  in  Semitics  and  at  college-commence 
ments,  Sept.  14,  1785  and  Sept.  12,  1792,  one  of 
their  number  "delivered  an  Hebrew  Oration"  (ibid., 
p.  184;  474).  Dr.  Stiles  must  have  been  a  wonder 
ful  pedagogue,  for  in  less  than  two  week's  time,  he 
says,  that  he  taught  a  Freshman,  wholly  ignorant 
of  Hebrew,  almost  the  entire  grammar,  including 
i  the  translation  and  parsing  of  Psalm  I.  in  the  orig 
inal  (see  p.  410). 

Though  his  time  was  well  occupied,  the  genial 
diarist  did  not  for  a  moment  neglect  his  own  private 
studies.  His  critical  researches  and  exegetical  notes, 
scattered  throughout  the  pages  of  the  journal,  would 
vindicate  for  him  quite  a  prominent  place  in  the 
ranks  of  American  Orientalists  (vol.  ii.,  pp.  465-7; 
.508  ;  iii.,  3  ;  32-33  ;  347).  To  a  lengthy  passage  from 


the  Book  of  Tobit,  which  he  quotes  in  full,  he  ap 
pends  a  rather  tedious,  if  learned,  dissertation  on 
Messianic  prophecy,  and  fixes  the  approximate  date 
of  the  Return  of  the  Jews  to  Jerusalem  to  rebuild 
the  Third  Temple,  which,  he  maintains,  will  take 
place  A.D.  2370.  "They  will  accomplish  this  effect 
ually  about  perhaps  20  miles  North  of  it  [Jerusalem] 
&  elect  themselves  a  King  whose  Name  shall  be 
David  or  Beloved."  There  is  much  more  in  this 
strain,  showing  that  Dr.  Stiles  was  really  one  of  the 
forerunners  of  Zionism.  He  called  himself  a  "  Mil- 
lenialist,"  and  was  always  gratified  to  find  similar 
views  and  convictions  in  others  (cf,  vol.  iii.,  p.  393). 
The  Hebrew  phrases,  generously  interspersed  here 
and  there  in  his  remarks  (sadly  misprinted  in  the 
Diary,  as,  for  instance,  in  vol.  ii,,  pp.  465,  466,  508; 
vol.  iii.,  pp.  32,  534),  would  indicate  his  easy  famili 
arity  with  certain  idioms  and  colloquialisms  current 
among  Jews  (cf.  vol.  iii.,  pp,  33,  35).  He  is  very 
fond  of  using  Hebrew  characters,  and,  once  or  twice 
(pp.  35,  36),  he  employs  them  as  a  sort  of  cipher- 
code.  The  name  YHVH  was  never  absent  from  his 
speculations  on  mystic  emblems  (vol.  iii.,  p.  470), 
and  he  actually  believed,  judging  from  a  significant 
passage  in  his  Day-Book  (February  llth,  1781 ;  vol 
ii.,  p.  509),  to  have  spread  new  light  on  Messianic 
prophecy  by  his  own  interpretation  of  Jewish  au 
thors:  "So  the  Christians  with  their  Rights  can 
better  understand  the  Rabbinical  Writgs  than  the 
Rabbins  themselves."  All  his  zeal  and  enthusiasm 
in  examining  original  Hebrew  texts  (vol.  iii.,  p. 
201),  passages  in  the  Syriac  version  (ibid.,  p.  208),  in 
the  Targum  and  other  Jewish  commentaries  (p. 
342)  were  directed  toward  the  attainment  of  one 
object — to  glorify  Christian  doctrine.  He  was  not 
narrow  in  any  sense,  not  even  in  theology,  but  yet 
his  constant  insistence  upon  Jewish  proofs  of  New 
Testament  truths  is  a  bit  trying. 


"Justin  Martyr's  Dialogue  with  Trypho  the  Jew'" 
must  have  lent  him  much  food  for  kindred  thought 
(ibid.,  p.  345).  On  March  25th,  1790  (ibid.,  p.  386),  he 
records  that  he  has  "  finished  the  Transla  of  the  Life 
of  Joseph  the  Father  of  Christ  into  Hebrew  twenty 
eight  Pages  Quarto,  I  translated  it  from  the  Latin," 
adds  he,  "  which  was  a  Trans1  from  the  Arabic, 
which  had  been  translated  from  the  Hebrew  or 
Syriac.  As  a  curious  Experiment  I  translated  it 
into  Hebrew."  Three  years  later  (January  5,  1793; 
ibid.,  p.  433)  he  writes :  "  Yesterday  I  finished  trans- 
lats  the  Hist7of  Joseph  the  Carpenter  in  English. 
It  was  originally  written  in  Hebrew  by  the  Apostles : 
thence  translated  into  Arabic :  thence  by  Willen  in 
1722  into  Latin:  from  thence  I  translated  it  into 
English,"  I  leave  the  solution  of  this  curious  bib 
liographic  puzzle  to  learned  specialists. 

Besides  delivering  several  discourses  on  the  Ori 
ental  languages  (ibid.,  pp.  213,  236,  335,  341,  421); 
"reading  Josipus  [sic]  Ben  Gorion  "  (ib.t  p.  237)  and 
a  large  quarto  volume  by  Bayerius  on  "  Hebrew- 
Samar.  Shekels  &  Coins/'  sent  to  him  by  Dr.  Benja 
min  Franklin,  an  occasional  donor  of  Hebrew  books 
(ibid.,  p.  388;  cf.  vol.  i.,  p.  70;,  he  made  some  study 
of  vulgar  Arabic,  as  spoken  by  negro  slaves  in  Trin 
idad,  in  the  West  Indies  (vol.  iii.,  p.  276),  and  in 
July,  1793,  devoted  much  time  to  "readgthe  Alco 
ran  "  (p.  498  ;  cf.  also  p.  518).  Nor  was  this  all ;  on 
September  9th,  1781  (vol.  ii.,  p.  553),  he  wrote  a 
"Letter  in  Hebrew  to  Mr.  Simpson  [sic]  the  aged 
Jew  at  Wilton  in  Norwalk  "  [Connecticut],  concern 
ing  whom  Prof.  Dexter's  abbreviated  text  tenders 
no  other  information  save  that  he  was  an  old  man, 
"set.  86  circa  ...  a  Refugee  from  N.  York."  The 
diarist  visited  him  on  January  18, 1782  (vol.  iii.,  p.  3), 
and  describes  with  much  care  a  MS.  Bible,  written 
on  parchment  and  held  to  be  1200  years  old,  which 


the  owner's  son,  Mr.  Simson  [sic],  Jr.,  had  brought  to 
him  for  inspection  (ibid.,  pp,  3,32-33).  Owing  to  exi 
gencies  of  space,  I  shall  reserve  this  interesting  bibli 
ographic  note  for  publication  elsewhere,  tog-ether 
with  other  critical  items  from  the  Z&zrp,  here  omitted. 
Dr.  Stiles  had  other  Jewish  correspondents  besides 
those  already  mentioned  in  these  pages.  Under 
date  of  May  3d,  1790  {voL  iii.,  p,  392)  we  read:  "Last 
week  I  recd  a  Lett,  from  Mr.  Isaac  Pinto  a  learned 
Jew  at  N  York,  dated  14  Apr.,  upon  the  Heb.  In 
scription  which  I  found  at  Kent  last  falL  He  adds 
no  Light  upon  the  subject  being  as  much  puzzled 
as  I  was,  ..."  Here  the  editor  of  the  journal  breaks 
off  abruptly  and  we  learn  nothing  more  of  these 
Semitic  antiquities,  but  elsewhere  he  refers  quite 
often  to  other  alleged  inscriptions  in  Punic  or  Phoa- 
nician  character  graven  on  a  Rock  at  Dighton, 
Mass.,  the  identity  of  which  puzzled  him  a  good 
deal.  The  eager  diarist  had  made  two  copies  of 
the  rock-engraved  legend,  one  in  1766  and  another 
in  1788.  He  mentions  other  Hebrew  inscriptions  in 
Rhode  Island  and  Connecticut,  one  of  which  he 
assumes,  because  the  "  characters  are  good  Hebrew  " 
and  well  executed,  to  have  been  the  work  of  "  Jews 
who  have  been  visiting  the  Kent  &  New  Milfd. 
Mountains  for  Gold  Mines  for  30  y.  past "  (cf.  p.  368). 
The  date  on  one  of  them  is  1733,  Mr.  Pinto's  letter 
to  Dr.  Stiles  is  upon  the  elucidation  of  this  mystery 
(see,  concerning  Pinto,  the  references  in  Appendix  /., 
No  2  :  "  Jews  in  New  Haven  and  elsewhere  in  Con 
necticut  ").  The  diarist  appears  to  have  written  a 
dissertation  upon  these  Hebrew  antiquities  (ibid.,  p. 
396)  and  to  have  corresponded  with  a  number  of 
learned  archaeologists  on  the  subject  (see  also  pp. 
19-20;  72;  330;  366;  402).  Similar  finds  have  been 
made  in  Brazil,  in  the  West  Indies,  in  Newark,  N. 
J.,  and  New  York,  and  there  is  quite  an  extensive 
controversy  extant  as  to  their  authenticity. 


APPENDIX    I. 

STATISTICAL     NOTES 
L—THE  JEWS  IN  NEWPORT. 

Among  Dr.  Stiles'  papers  is  a  list  of  "  Jews  in  New 
port  in  1760,"  as  follows  {Literary  Diary,  vol.  i.,  p.  11, 
note  2]  : 

2  Harts, 4  souls 

Moses  Levy  &  Brother, 7     " 

-  Sarsidas, 6     " 

Aaron  Lopez, 7     ' ' 

Moses  Lopez, 11     " 

Jacob  Isaacs, 5     " 

Isaac  Elizur, 2     " 

old  Police, 6     '• 

Issachar  Police, 1     " 

-  Police,  junior, 2     " 

Rod.  Levarez  [Alvarez  ?}, 5     " 

-  Hart, 2     " 

-  Lucina, ' ' 

To  this  list  is  appended  the  note,  "  Moses  Levy 
reckoned  56  souls  of  Jews  Mar.  2,  1761,  and  10  Fami 
lies." 

From  the  draft  of  a  letter  of  Dr.  Stiles  to  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Nathaniel  Lardner,  of  London,  dated  June  20,  1764. 
and  preserved  among  the  Stiles  Papers  : 

We  have  15  or  20  Families  of  Jews  here,  almost  the 
only  ones  in  New  England  (&  perhaps  there  are  not  so 
many  more  on  this  Continent).  They  have  erected  a 
small  synagogue  in  New  York ;  and  another  at  Newport, 
met  in  for  the  first  time  in  December  last;  it  is  superbly 
finished  withinside  at  a  cost  of  £2,000.  sterling;  in  the 
place  of  the  Ark  they  have  deposited  Three  Vellum 
Copies,  Rolls  of  the  Law,  one  of  which  is  said  to  be 
above  Two  hundred  years  old,  which  I  judge  true  from 
the  Aspect  &  Rabbinical  Flourishes.  They  have  a 
Chuzzan  from  Amsterdam  [on  the  Scrolls  of  the  Law, 
see  our  notes  supra,  pp.  59,  61]. 


109 

In  1755  Dr.  Stiles,  writing  to  a  friend  in  England, 
reports  fifteen  Jewish  families  in  Newport  (vide  above, 
p.  18). 

In  1760  the  number  remains  the  same  (see  Willner,  in 
Publ.  Am.  Jew.  Hist.  Soc.,  No.  6,  p.  124). 

The  following  is  a  "List  of  owners  of  vessels  in 
Newport  in  1762,  according  to  the  diarist  (Willner,  I.e.): 

"  Mr.  Lopez 1  brig 

* '     Hart 1  ship 2  brigs 

"     Jacob  Isaacs 1  brig 

"     Elizur 2  sloops 

"     Meyers 1  sloop " 

Aaron  Lopez,  as  we  have  seen  above  (p.  30),  had,  in 
1772,  about  20  vessels. 

In  1773  he  wrote  :  "  There  are  now  in  Town  about 
Twenty-five  Families  of  Jews  "  (cf.  supra,  p.  23). 

Although  Ralph  Isaacs,  Jr.,  frequently  mentioned  in 
the  Diary  (cf.  Index,  vol.  iii.,  p.  605a),  is  said  to  have 
been  of  Jewish  descent  (see  Publications,  No.  6,  pp. 
151-53),  he  need  not  be  taken  into  account  in  this  paper. 

2.—JE  WS  IN  NE  W  HA  VEN  AND  EL SE  WHERE 
IN  CONNECTICUT. 

In  1760,  Dr.  Stiles  found,  on  inquiry,  that  there  were 
no  Jews  in  the  colony  of  Connecticut. 

In  1762  he  records  that  a  list  of  all  families  in  Bristol 
contains  no  Jews.  On  January  6th,  1762,  he  writes  : 
"I  learn  in  conversation  with  Capt.  Jno.  Nichols  that 
there  are  no  Jews  in  New  Haven."  One  year  later, 
January  27th,  1763,  he  says:  "Dr.  Hubbard  of  New 
Haven  [father-in-law  of  Dr.  Stiles]  writes  me  that  five 
Papists,  but  no  Jews  live  there  "  (Willner,  I.e.). 

On  the  7th  of  September,  1772,  he  set  out  on  a  jour 
ney  to  Connecticut,  and  in  a  separate  volume,  called 
Itinerary,  under  date  of  September  13th.,  we  read  the 
following  item  (vol.  i.,  pp.  283-84) : 

"The  Summer  past  a  Family  of  Jews  settled  here,  the 
first  real  Jews  (except  two  Jew  Brothers  Pintos  who 


renounced  Judaism  &  all  Religion)  that  settled  in  N. 
Haven.  They  came  from  Venice,  sat  down  some  little 
Time  at  Eustatia  in  W.  Indies,  &  lately  removed  here. 
They  are  three  Brothers  (Adults)  with  an  aged  Mother, 
and  a  Widow  &  her  Children,  being  in  all  about  10  or  8 
Souls  Jews,  with  six  or  8  Negroes.  Last  Saturday  they 
kept  holy;  Dr.  Hubbard  was  sent  for  then  to  see  one 
of  them  sick  : — he  told  me  the  Family  were  worship8  by 
themselves  in  a  Room  in  which  were  Lights  &  a  sus 
pended  Lamp.  This  is  the  first  Jewish  Worship  in 
New  Haven.  .  .  .  [editor's  abridgment]  These  Jews 
indeed  worship  in  the  Jewish  Manner ;  but  they  are  not 
eno'  to  constitute  &  become  a  Synagogue,  for  which 
there  must  be  12  Men  at  least.  So  that  if  there  shd. 
hereafter  be  a  Synagogue  in  N.  H.  it  must  not  be  dated 
from  this  Besides  these  there  is  a  few  [Jews?]  in  Town 
that  belong  to  none  of  these  Meetings  but  are  Separates 
&  associate  with  others  scattered  in  the  neighboring 
parishes." 

The  two  brothers,  whose  estrangement  from  the 
synagogue  is  noted  by  the  accurate  diarist,  were  Jacob 
and  Solomon  Pinto,  the  latter  being  among  those  cap 
tured  by  the  British  in  1779  (Diary,  vol.  ii.,  p.  365;  cf. 
supra,  p.  35).  They  are  both  included  in  the  "  Roll  of 
the  Citizens  of  New  Haven  Feb.  5,  1784."  At  their 
first  incorporation,  as  among  the  "Persons  Quallifyed 
according  to  Law  to  be  made  Free  of  this  Corporation" 
(Diary,  vol.  iii.,  pp.  107,  col.  2;  109,  col.  2).  Whether 
they  were  related  to  the  Pintos  of  New  York,  who  are 
likewise  mentioned  by  the  diarist,  it  is  difficult  to  deter 
mine. 

A  Jacob  and  Samuel  Pinto  are  signed  as  witnesses 
to  the  will  of  Joshua  Isaacs  dated  July  13,  1744  (Record 
of  Wills  in  N.  Y.  Surrogate's  office,  vol.  xv.,  Nos.  245 
and  246,  pp.  235-37  ;  see  my  notes  in  Publications  Am. 
Jew.  Hist.  Soc.,  No.  3,  p.  143,  note  20),  and  members 
of  the  same  family,  no  doubt,  lived  in  Surinam  and  in 
the  West  Indies. 


Ill 

Isaac  Pinto,  who  is  most  likely  identical  with  the 
English  translator  of  the  Sephardic  prayerbook  (see 
my  notes,  I.e.,  pp.  118-22;  and  also  in  Bishop  Wright's 
Early  Prayerbooks  in  America,  New  York,  1896,  where 
a  facsimile  of  the  title-page  is  given ;  see  furthermore 
an  article  in  the  Israelite,  Cincinnati,  1863,  vol.  x.,  No. 
13,  p.  100:  "An  American  Hebrew  Translator"),  cor 
responded  in  Hebrew  with  Rabbi  Carigal  in  Newport, 
in  June,  1773,  with  reference  to  some  Arabic  words  in 
Ibn  Ezra  (Diary,  vol.  i.,  p.  386;  see  Appendix  II., 
entry:  "June  14th  ").  In  May,  1790,  Dr.  Stiles  received 
a  letter  from  Mr.  Isaac  Pinto,  whom  he  describes  as  a 
learned  Jew  in  New  York,  upon  some  Hebrew  rock- 
inscriptions  which  taxed  the  diarist's  ingenuity  (voL 
iii.,  p.  392).  It  is  evident  from  all  this  that  at  least 
learned  Jews  in  colonial  America  kept  pretty  well  in 
touch  with  one  another. 

3.— JEWS  IN  PHILADELPHIA. 

11  Mr  Tauro  the  Jew  priest  or  Chuzan  of  this  Town 
tells  me,"  says  Dr.  Stiles,  under  date  of  July  18th,  1771 
(vol.  i.,  p.  124),  "there  are  about  a  Dozen  Jew  Families 
in  Philadelphia,  and  that  they  are  opening  a  Synagogue 
there.  He  is  lately  from  New  York,  but  did  not  see 
the  York  Chuzan  because  he  was  gone  to  Philada  upon 
that  affair.  I  suppose  therefore  that  he  has  gone  to 
form  them  &  begin  the  Synag.  Worship  there.  They 
have  no  Edifice  as  yet.  But  I  conclude  this  may  date 
the  Beginning  of  the  Synag.  Worship  in  Philada." 

Of  the  alleged  conversion  of  Mr.  Hayes,  a  Jew  of 
Philadelphia,  who  had  a  brother  living  in  Newport,  we 
have  already  spoken  (cf.  supra,  pp.  45-46). 

On  February  20th,  1789  (vol.  iii.,  pp.  341-2),  Dr. 
Stiles  drew  up  a  comparative  table  of  "  Births  &  Burials 
in  the  City  of  Philadelphia  from  Dec.  25,  1787  to  Dec. 
55,  1788."  The  list  is  too  long  to  be  copied  in  full. 
The  largest  number  of  "  christenings  "  among  German 
Lutherans  was  421;  burials,  157;  among  Jews,yfo<?  of 
one  and  two  of  the  other. 


112 

"  Remark  1.  Say  Totals  of  Deaths  in  the  year  1161 
or  1200,  and  this  30th  part,  then  the  Number  of  Inhab . 
in  the  City  may  be  estimated  35  Thousd  Souls.  Rem.  2. 
As  1200  : 35  or  3600  : :  100  :  3000  Souls.  At  which  rate 
the  Sects  stand  thus : 

Germans 229  -f  Swedes  1 5  =  244 

Eng.  Episc0 152 

Quakers 148 

Romanists 145 

Presbyterians 101  but  173  inch  Germ.  Calv. 

Baptists 4 

Sweeds 15 

JEWS 2 

Moravians 6  " 

4.— JEWS  IN  GEORGIA. 

According  to  the  account  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Fink 
(quoted  by  Dr.  Stiles,  vol.  i.,  pp.  353-4),  there  were  in 
Savannah,  Georgia,  in  1770  or  1771,  the  following 
denominations: 

Families      Men     Negroes    Total 

Chh  of  England 180. . .  .664. . .  .521 . .  .1185 

Lutherans 35. ...  134 59. ...  193 

Presb.  &  Independ'ts. . .  .92. . .  .327. . . .  172. . .  .499 

JEWS 6 27 22 49 

Infidels 11 23 7 30 

Negroes  besides ...          ...  40 


\  Total:} 324       1175         782       1996 

I  think  this  is  not  accurate.  The  324  families  cannot 
yield  many  more  than  1175  souls,  which  he  calls  "Men." 
The  third  item  in  the  total  count  ought  to  be  781,  not 
782.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  Jews  owned  22 
negro  slaves.  In  New  Haven,  too,  as  we  have  seen 
above  (see  this  Appendix,  No.  2),  "  10  or  8  Souls  Jews  " 
had  "six  or  8  negroes."  We  remark  in  passing  that 
the  Jews  in  New  York  and  New  England,  as  has  been 
pointed  out  elsewhere  (see  my  Essay,  The  Jamaican 


Anti- Slavery  Movement  and  the  Jews,  1902),  were  large 
slaveholders.  Isaac  Rodriguez  Marquise,  a  Jewish 
merchant  of  New  York,  who  carried  on  an  extensive 
trade  in  the  West  Indies,  makes  it  one  of  the  provisions 
of  his  will,  dated  October  17th,  1706,  that  in  case  his 
"  dear  mother,  Rachel  Marquise  ....  cannot  agree 
with  them  [his  children]  or  likes  to  live  by  herself,  she 
is  to  receive  £50,  and  a  good  serviceable  negro  woman 
shall  be  purchased  for  her"  (see  Abstracts  of  Wills,  vol. 
i.,  1665-1707,  in  "Collections  of  New  York  Historical 
Society  for  the  year  1892,"  New  York,  1893,  p.  439 ;  also 
Jewish  Messenger,  June  28th,  1901,  p.  11). 

For  statistics  of  the  Jews  in  Jerusalem  in  the  year 
1773,  communicated  to  Dr.  Stiles  by  Rabbi  Carigal,  see 
Appendix  II.,  entry:  "July  16th." 


APPENDIX   II. 


RABBI    HAJIM  ISAAC   CARIGAL   AND 
EZRA  STILES. 

{March  5th,  1773,  vol.  i,  p.  354.] :  '•  Visited  .  .  .  two 
young  gentlemen  returning  home  from  Philadelphia. 
They  arrived  here  yesterday  from  New  York,  and  tell 
me  there  came  with  them  from  New  York  a  hebrew 

Rabbi  from  Macpelah  in  the  Holy  Land." . 

[This  is  the  first  reference  to  Carigal,  or  as  he  is  some 
times  called,  R.  Isaac,  in  the  Diary. ,] 

{March  8th,  ibid.]  :  "  This  Evening  I  went  to  the 
Synagogue,  it  being  the  Eve  of  Purim.  The  Chuzan 
read  thro'  the  Book  of  Esther.  There  I  saw  Rabbi 
Carigal  I  judge  aet.  45.  lately  from  the  City  of  Hebron, 
the  Cave  of  Macpelah  in  the  Holy  Land.  He  was  one1 
of  the  two  persons  that  stood  by  the  Chuzan  at  the 
Taubauh  [sic]  or  reading  Desk  while  the  Book  of 
Esther  was  read.  He  was  dressed  in  a  red  Garment 
with  the  usual  Phylacteries  and  habiliments,  the  white 
silk  Surplice ;  he  wore  a  high  brown  furr  Cap,  had  a 
long  Beard.  He  has  the  appearance  of  an  ingenious  & 
sensible  Man.  ..." 

[March  30th,  pp.  357-8.] :  "  This  Afternoon  the  Rabbi 
came  to  visit  me  in  Company  with  Mr.  Lopez.  The 
Rabbi  is  aet.  39,  a  large  Man,  neat  and  well  dressed  in 
the  Turkish  Habit.  We  conversed  largely  on  the 
Gemara,  the  2  Talmuds  (of  which  he  preferred  the 
Babylonish),  the  Changes  of  the  Hebrew  Language  in 
different  Ages  &c.  &c.  He  was  born  in  Hebron,  where 
he  says  are  only  107  Families  of  Jews.  From  aet.  7, 
has  followed  his  Studies.  He  says,  one  may  break 
fast  at  Hebron  and  dine  at  Jerusalem,  which  are  but  six 
hours  apart.  He  has  been  at  Samaria,  Tiberias,  and 
thro'  the  Holy  Land,  at  Constantinople  &c.  &c.  He 
spake  of  Aly  Bey,  and  shewed  me  a  passage  in  the 
Zohar  which  he  said  predicted  that  the  Russians  should 


conquer  the  Turks.  I  observed  that  in  the  Original  it 
was  that  Edom  should  conquer  the  Ismattites—te  re 
plied  that  Edom  there  denoted  a  Northern  Power,  and 
the  Ismaelites  those  of  their  Religion.  He  said  he 
did  not  understand  Arabic  to  read  it,  upon  my  showing 
an  Arabic  Extract  from  Eutychius.  Yet  he  said  it  was 
the  common  Tongue  now  in  the  Holy  Land,  and  only 
the  Jews  were  not  allowed  to  learn  the  Writings.  I 
shewed  him  the  first  Psalm  in  Arabic  but  in  Hebrew 
Letters  — He  read  it  off  freely— and  I  suppose  I  then 
for  the  first  Time  heard  the  true  pronunciation  of 
Arabic.  He  said  the  vernacular  Arabic  now  was  differ 
ent  from  the  antient.  We  talked  upon  the  difference  of 
the  Dialects  of  the  Chaldee,  Syriac,  and  rabbinical 
Hebrew,  on  the  Targums  &c.  Evening  coming  on  he 
took  Leave  in  a  polite  &  friendly  manner. 

[April  6th,  pp.  360-1. J  :  "  In  the  Afternoon  I  visited 
Rabbi  Haijm  Isaac  Karigal  aet.  39.  He  was  born 
at  Hebron  near  the  Cave  of  Macpelah.  Has  travelled 
all  over  the  Holy  Land  and  to  Aleppo,  EzekielsTomb, 
and  Bagdat  [sic]  the  Extent  of  his  Travels  Eastward  : 
—  Constantinople  —  Holland  --  London  --  Amercia. 
We  conversed  much  freely  —  he  is  learned  and  truly 
modest,  far  more  so  than  I  ever  saw  a  Jew.  .  .  . 
I  asked  him  how  he  approved  the  LXX  Translation  ? 
He  said  he  had  never  seen  it:  but  the  Gemara  spake  of 
it  as  made  for  King  Ptolomy  and  allowed  it  to  have 
been  done  by  Learned  Jews  or  72  persons  sent  by  the 

Sanhedrim " 

[April  8th,  pp.  362-3.]  :  "  This  day  is  Passover  with 
the  Jews.  I  went  to  the  Synagogue.  The  Chocam 
[sic]  Rabbi  was  there;  he  was  one  called  up  to  the 
Reading  of  the  Law  — but  I  observed  he  did  not  read 
his  own  portion  of  the  Law  —  which  I  wondered  at; 
however  he  audibly  pronounced  the  short  prayer  in 
stead  of  the  Huzzan  before  reading  his  part,  and  after 
the  Huzzan  had  read  the  portion,  the  Rabbi  alone  and 
without  the  Chuzan  lift  up  his  voice  and  pronounced 


n6 

the  Blessing.  This  is  repeated  by  the  Chuzan  usually 
for  every  one  of  the  7  persons  —  but  this  part  the 
Rabbi  did  for  himself ;  and  he  performed  no  other  part 
of  the  Service  as  distinct  from  the  Congregation. 

The  Rabbi's  Dress  or  Aparrel :  Common  English 
Shoes,  black  Leather,  Silver  flowered  Buckles,  White 
Stockings.  His  general  Habit  was  Turkish.  A  green 
Silk  Vest  or  long  under  Garment  reaching  down  more 
than  half  way  the  Legs  or  within  3  Inches  of  the 
Ankles,  the  ends  of  the  Sleeves  of  this  Vest  appeared 
on  the  Wrists  in  a  foliage  Turn-up  of  3  inches,  &  the 
Opening  little  larger  than  that  the  hand  might  pass 
freely.  A  Girdle  or  Sash  of  different  Colors  red  and 
green  girt  the  Vest  around  his  Body.  It  appeared  not 
to  be  open  at  the  bottom  but  to  come  down  like  a  petti 
coat  ;  and  no  Breeches  could  be  discovered.  This 
Vest  however  had  an  opening  above  the  Girdle — and 
he  put  in  his  Handkerchief,  and  Snuff-box,  and  Watch. 
Under  this  was  an  inner  Vest  of  Calico,  besides  other 
Jewish  Talismans.  Upon  the  vest  first  mentioned  was 
a  scarlet  outer  Garment  of  Cloth,  one  side  of  it  was 
Blue,  the  outside  scarlet ;  it  reached  down  about  an 
Inch  lower  than  the  Vest,  or  near  the  Ankles.  It  was 
open  before,  no  range  of  Buttons  &c.  along  the  Edge, 
but  like  a  Scholars  Gown  in  the  Body  but  plain  and 
without  many  gatherings  at  the  Neck,  the  sleeves 
strait  or  narrow  and  slit  open  4  or  5  Inches  at  the  End, 
and  turned  up  with  a  blue  silk  Quarter  Cujf,  higher  up 
than  at  the  End  of  the  sleeve  of  the  Vest.  When  he 
came  into  the  Synoguge  he  put  over  all,  the  usual  Alb 
or  white  Surplice,  which  was  like  that  of  other  Jews, 
except  that  its  Edge  was  striped  with  Blue  straiks, 
and  had  more  Fringe.  He  had  a  White  Cravat  round 
his  Neck.  He  had  a  long  black  Beard,  the  upper  Lip 
partly  shaven — his  Head  shaved  all  over.  On  his 
Head  a  high  Fur  [Sable]  Cap,  exactly  like  a  Woman's 
Muff,  and  about  9  or  10  Inches  high,  the  Aperture 
atop  was  closed  with  green  cloth.  He  behaved  mod- 


"7 

estly  and  reverently.     Some  part  of  the  Singing  in  the 
Synagogue  this  day  was  exceeding  fine  &  melodious. 

{April  17th.  p.  367\  :  "  Went  to  the  Synagogue,  Mr. 
Rivera  began  and  read  the  Prayers  &c.  till  the  Taking 
out  of  the  Roll  of  the  Law,  which  Rabbi  Hajim  Isaac 
held  up  and  turned  around  and  shewed  to  all  parts  of 
the  Synagogue,  and  then  went  to  his  place  and  the 
Chuzzan  proceeded  &  read  the  Law," 

\April  22nd  &  23-',  p.  368] :  "At  Synagogue  Even 
ing  prayers." 

"  I  visited  the  Rabbi.  He  shewed  me  the  form  of 
the  Candlesticks  of  Moses  and  Zechariah.  We  dis 
coursed  on  many  Things.  .  .  I  asked  him  whether 
Moses  wrote  all  the  Pentateuch,  particularly  the  Ac 
count  of  his  own  Death?  &  also  Gen.  36,  31? — he  an 
swered,  yes;  that  he  wrote  of  Things  future  and  pres 
ent,  so  Isaiah  wrote  of  Cyrus.  I  asked  him  whether 
by  the  usual  Intercalation,  the  hebrew  chronology  was 
perfect — the  Jewish  year  exactly  solar? — yes.  How 
long  their  chronology  had  been  reduced  to  perfection, 
&  whether  antiently  there  were  no  Errors  or  Devia 
tions  from  Solar  Time?  He  said  it  was  perfect  from  the 
Beginning,  the  principles  of  it  were  laid  down  in  the 
six  Days  Creation,  &  had  been  delivered  down  from 
the  earliest  Antiquity.  I  wanted  more  closely  to  at 
tend  to  this  Matter,  as  he  spake  with  the  deliberate 
Confidence  of  Demonstration — and  he  is  a  Man  of 
great  Modesty  and  Candor,  and  most  remote  from  a 
disposition  to  obtrude  his  own  Assertions  without  being 
ready  to  offer  the  Reasons.  But  we  had  not  Time." 

[April  26th,  p.  370}  :     "This    afternoon   Rabbi  Isaac 
with   Mr.   Tauro   [elsewhere  spelt    Touro]   visited  me, 

and  sat  with  me  in  my  Study  till  Evening We 

viewed  a  large  sheet  of  antient  Characters  of  the  orig 
inal  Oriental  Paleography  ;  &  examined  some  Medal 
lions  or  Coins  with  Samaritan  Letters,  one  of  Simeon 
the  Maccabean  Prince.  Upon  which  a  Dispute  arose, 
whether  Moses  wrote  in  Samaritan  or  Chakiee  ?  The 


i  18 

Rabbi  said  he  wrote  in  the  present  Letter  of  the  Heb. 
Bible — that  Ezra  did  not  change  the  Letter,  &  would 
by  no  means  allow  that  the  Samaritan  was  original. 
He  had  never  seen  these  Sheckels  &  Coins,  &  was 
unacquainted  with  the  Reasoning  upon  them.  He  at 
tempted  to  consider  them  as  spurious,  but  at  length 
seemed  to  grant  them  genuine ;  yet  knew  not  how  to 
account  for  Inscriptions  in  Samaritan  with  Jerusalem  tht 
Holy,  which  a  Samaritan  would  not  say  after  the  Return 
from  Babylon.  He  was  puzzled  yet  spake  like  a  Man 
of  Candor,  &  dissented  in  such  a  manner  as  was  pleas 
ing  and  noble I  asked  him  whether  Lots  Wife 

was  still  standing  in  a  Pillar  of  Salt  on  the  Shores  of 
the  Dead  Sea?  or  whether  this  Fable  was  without 
Truth.  He  said  he  had  not  seen  it,  having  never  been 
there,  nor  even  to  any  part  of  that  Sea,  tho'  Hebron 
was  but  6  or  7  miles  off  from  the  Sea.  For  the  Turks 
do  not  suffer  the  Jews  to  travel  all  the  holy  Land — they 
are  allowed  to  visit  Jerusalem  &  some  other  places 
—but  restricted  as  to  others  ;  which  was  the  reason 
that  though  he  lived  so  near  the  Dead  Sea  of  Sodom, 
he  had  never  visited  it." 

[May  10th,  pp.  373-4.]:  "This  Afternoon  R.  Isaac 
visited  me  again.  I  shewed  him  the  Inscriptions  on 
Mt.  Sinai,  which  he  had  never  seen  nor  ever  heard  of 
before — but  he  could  not  read  them — yet  seemed  much 
pleased  with  then:.  I  shewed  him  my  Drawing  of  the 
Writing  Rock  at  Dighton,  but  neither  could  he  decipher 

this [vide  above,  p.  108.]    I  asked  him  what  age 

the  oldest  Copy  of  the  Hebrew  Bible  was  he  ever  saw  ? 
He  said  the  oldest  he  ever  saw  was  one  at  Hebron, 
which  was  nine  hundred  years  old.  I  observed  there 
was  a  Copy  of  the  Lxx  in  the  Kings  Library  in  Eng 
land  1400  years  old  written  in  Egypt  by  a  Christian 
Lady  Thecla ;  and  this  was  the  oldest  Book  I  knew  of 
in  the  World.*  He  said  he  had  never  heard  of  this. 


*  EDITOR'S   NOTE:      "The   famous     Codex  Alexandrinus 


H9 

As  he  had  been  at  Bologna,  having  lived  six  years  in 
Italy,  I  told  him  Montfaucon  said  that  there  was  a  very 
antient  Copy  of  the  Law  in  the  University  of  Bologna, 
which  had  been  bought  of  certain  Rabbins  who  asserted 
it  to  be  the  very  copy  written  by  Ezra  the  Scribe.* 
I  asked  him,  whether  he  saw  it  when  he  was  there;  he 
said  he  had  heard  nothing  of  it,  &  did  not  believe  it 
true." 

{May  15th,  ibid.}  :  "Went  to  Synagogue— while  the 
Huzzan  read  the  Law,  the  Rabbi  sitting  at  the 
upper  end  of  the  Synagogue,  the  Huzzan  pronounced  a 
Word  wrong  Levit.  25,  29,  upon  which  the  Rabbi  cor 
rected  him  publicly,  and  called  out  Gaulto,  Gaulto,  and 
obliged  the  Huzzan  to  correct  himself.  The  Rabbi 
appears  to  have  great  Authority." 

[The  words  underscored  have,  no  doubt,  reference  to 
theHebrew^Wrt^  (^x:)  in  the  passage  cited.  It  is 
interesting  to  know  how  Hebrew  was  pronounced  by 
a  Palestinian  Rabbi  of  the  xviiith  century. 

Prof.  F.  B.  Dexter  informs  us,  in  a  footnote,  on  p. 
375,  that  under  date  of  May  24th,  1773,  there  is  inserted 
in  the  Diary  a  letter  in  Hebrew  to  Rabbi  Carigal,  with  an 
English  translation.  The  subject  is  the  antiquity  of  the 
Hebrew  letters.  Two  years  later,  on  Feb.  16,  1775,  he 
is  found  writing  a  letter  on  the  same  subject  (Antiquity 
of  the  Points)  to  Mr.  Tutor  Lewis  of  Yale  College. 
"  The  more  I  consider  the  subject,  the  more  I  am  in 
clined  to  judge  the  Points  co-eval  with  the  Hebrew 
Language,"  says  he.  Prof.  Dexter  states,  in  a  note  on 
p.  517  of  vol.  i.,that  Dr.  Stiles  has  preserved  a  copy  of 
this  letter  (see  supra,  p.  100).  We  read  in  the  Diary 
under  date  of  Sept.  30th,  1773,  that  he  "Finished  Tran 
script  of  Letter  to  the  Rabbi,"  and  on  December  3d, 

transferred  from  the  King's  Library  to  the  British  Museum  in 
1753  ;  now  referred  to  about  A.  D.  450.  The  inscription  upon  it 
which  makes  Thekla  the  scribe  is  not  credited." 

*A  like  antiquity  has  been  claimed  for  almost  all  the  Biblical 
codices  in  the  world.     G.  A.  K. 


120 

that  he  had  written  a  Hebrew  Letter  of  22  pages  to  Kar- 
igal.  On  Dec.  30th  of  the  same  year,  he  writes  :  "Fin 
ished  another  Copy  of  my  Lettr  in  Heb[rew]  to  R.  Car- 
igal  in 29  pages"  ;  and  on  July  19th,  1775,  we  read  this 
entry  :  "Writing  a  Hebrew  Letter  to  R.  Carigal  of  Bar- 
badoes."  He  had  received  but  two  from  the  Rabbi 
since  his  removal  to  Surinam  and  thence  to  the  West 
Indies  ;  one,  on  Dec.  25,  1773,  and  the  other,  on  Nov. 
3d,  1775.  All  this  correspondence,  as  well  as  the  let 
ters  of  the  Rabbi  to  Dr.  Stiles,  are  preserved  at  the 
Yale  University  Library.] 

[May  28th,  pp.  376-7\\  "Pentecost.  Went  to  the 
Synagogue  at  ix  h.  A.M.  At  reading  the  Law  the  Rabbi 
was  desired  and  read  the  Ten  Commandments.  But 
before  reading  the  Law  and  the  Prophets  the  Rabbi 
went  to  the  Desk  or  Taubauh  and  preached  a  Sermon 
about  47  minutes  long  in  Spanish.  It  was  interspersed 
with  Hebrew.  His  Oratory,  Elocution  and  Gestures 
were  fine  and  oriental.  It  was  very  animated.  He 
exhorted  them  not  to  perplex  themselves  with  Tradi 
tions  and  Criticisms,  but  to  attend  to  certain  capital 
points  and  principal  points  of  Religion — he  expatiated 
upon  the  Miseries  and  Calamities  of  their  Nation  in 
their  present  Captivity  and  Dispersion  and  comforted 
them  under  their  Tribulations  by  the  assured  Prospect 
of  the  Messiahs  Kingdom — he  exhorted  them  not  to  be 
discouraged  but  persevere  &c — he  shewed  that  Calami 
ties  and  sufferings  were  not  Evidence  of  their  being 
forsaken  of  God — that  Adversity  and  Judgments  were 
the  common  Lot  of  all  Nations  Kingdoms  and  Countries 
— and  instanced  in  the  Desolation  made  by  the  Erup 
tion  of  Mt.  Vesuvius  near  Naples  in  Italy  which  he  said 
he  had  seen,  and  beheld  the  Deluge  of  liquid  Matter, 
flowing  and  carrying  all  before  it,  overwhelming  Vil 
lages,  Houses,  Temples,  people  &c — yet  Christians  did 
not  consider  this  as  an  Evidence  against  their  Religion : 
neither  was  the  Destruction  of  the  Temple  and  City  of 
Jerusalem  by  the  Romans  &c  any  argument  against  the 


121 

Truth  of  the  Jewish  Religion.  They  were  chastised  for 
their  Sins,  but  not  forsaken  of  God,  who  was  the  com 
mon  Parent  of  all  mankind,  while  he  had  chosen  Israel 
his  peculiar  Treasure.  Then  he  enlarged  with  Fervor 
on  the  Divine  Benevolence  and  seemed  to  be  elevated 
with  very  sublime  Ideas  of  the  divine  Benevolence 
Mercy  and  Love ;  which  he  converted  into  an  argument 
for  their  loving  one  another,  which  he  earnestly  pressed 
upon  them — and  closed  with  a  serious  Prayer.  The 
Affinity  of  the  Spanish  and  Latin  enabled  me  to  under 
stand  something  of  the  Discourse — but  after  all  I  have 
but  an  imperfect  Idea  of  it.  He  wore  Spectacles  thro' 
the  whole  Sermon,  and  frequently  looked  down  on  the 
Desk  before  him  as  if  he  had  the  Discourse  written,  but 
I  dont  know  that  he  had  any  Writing.  The  Jews  intend 
to  print  it.  He  was  dressed  in  his  Fur  Cap,  scarlet 
Robe,  green  silk  Damask  Vest,  and  a  chintz  under 
Vest, — girt  with  a  Sash  or  Turkish  Girdle — besides  the 
Alb.  with  Tzizith.  The  Jews  dont  admire  his  reading 
(the  X  Commandments)  and  indeed  he  speaks  off  with 
much  greater  Fluency  and  Ease  than  he  reads,  tho'  he 
reads  correctly.  There  was  Dignity  and  Authority 
about  him,  mixt  with  Modesty.  After  the  Sermon,  two 
Rolls  of  the  Law  were  brought  forward  with  great 
Solemnity,  and  after  Elevation  the  parasang  {parashat 
including  the  xxth  Chapter  of  Genesis  was  read  as 
usual :  at  reading  the  X  Commandments  the  whole 
Congregation  rose  up  and  stood.  After  which  Mr. 
Rivera's  little  son  8  or  9  aet.  read  the  first  Chapter  of 
Ezekiel — then  Prayers  for  all  Nations,  for  the  Jews,  for 
the  King  and  Royal  Family,  for  the  Magistrates  of 
Rhode  Island. — The  Law  was  then  returned  in  solemn 
procession  singing  the  usual  Psalm  :  then  Alms  Prayers 
and  Singing  concluded  the  Whole.  The  Synagogue 
was  decorated  with  Flowers  &c.  About  the  Time  the 
Rabbi  began  sermon  which  was  a  few  minutes  before 
Xh  three  of  the  Commissioners  came  in,  viz.  Gov. 
Wanton  &  Judge  Oliver  and  afterwarJs  Judge  Auch- 


122 

muty  and  were  seated  in  the  Seat  of  the  Parnass  or 
President  of  the  Synagogue.  The  whole  service  ended 
a  quarter  after  twelve. — I  have  often  found  that  I  can 
better  understand  the  English  pronunciation  of  Hebrew 
than  the  Spanish,  German  or  Polish;  every  nation  pro 
nounces  a  little  differently.  I  mean  that  the  Jews  whose 
Vernacular  Tongue  is  English  pronounce  so  that  I 
understand  it  better  than  when  pronounced  by  a  Jew 
whose  vernacular  Tongue  is  dutch  &c.  Accordingly  I 
easily  perceive  the  Words,  when  Riveras  son  (born 
here)  reads,  tho'  he  is  taught  by  a  Dutch  Master.  But 
when  this  Jerusalem  Rabbi  read  the  Law  I  could  under 
stand  it  as  well  as  if  I  read  it  myself,  and  much  better 
than  I  can  understand  Mr.  Tauro  the  Huzzan,  tho'  I 
have  been  used  to  his  reading  13  or  14  years.  I  must 
say,  however,  that  tho'  the  Rabbi  reads  more  correctly 
than  Tauro,  yet  the  latter  exceeds  him  in  a  certain 
Grandeur  of  Utterance,  and  a  more  bold  and  lofty 
Sonitus  Verborum.  (The  Sermon  was  translated  and 
printed.)" 

[The  full  title  of  this  sermon  is:  A  Sermon  preached 
at  the  Synagogue  in  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  called  ' '  The 
Salvation  of  Israel"  on  the  Day  of  Pentecost,  or  Feast  of 
Weeks,  the  6th  day  of  the  month  SlVAN,  the  year  of  the 
Creation  5533,  or  May  28,  1773;  being  the  Anniversary 
of  the  giving  of  the  Law  at  Mount  Sinai.  By  the  Vener 
able  Hoc  ham,  the  learned  Rabbi,  Haym  Isaac  Karigel 
(sic),  of  the  city  of  Hebron,  near  Jerusalem,  in  the  Holy 
Land.  Newport,  Rhode  Island:  Printed  and  Sold  by 
S.  Southwick,  in  Queen  Street,  1773.  A  copy  of  this 
rare  publication  is  in  the  Leeser  Library  in  Philadelphia 
and  in  the  collections  of  the  American  Jewish  Historical 
Society.  See  Publications  of  the  A.  J.  H.  S.,  No.  1,  p. 
123;  No.  3,  pp.  122-3;  No.  6,  p.  79.  From  a  MS.  note 
in  the  copy  in  Philadelphia,  which  was  a  gift  from 
Rebecca  Gratz  to  the  Rev.  Isaac  Leeser,  we  learn  that 
the  English  translator  of  the  sermon  was  Abraham 
Lopez.  The  only  local  fact  to  be  gleaned  from  its 
pages  is  that  Aaron  Lopez  was  the  Parnass  of  the 
congregation. 

On  June  27th,  1773  (vol.  i.,  p.  392),  Dr.  Stiles  writes 


"3 

that  Carigal  brought  him  a  copy  of  his  sermon,  trans 
lated  into  English,  and  on  the  29th  he  was  already  copy 
ing  it.  (See  also  entry  under  June  8th.)] 

[June  Ttk,p.  378}'.  "Last  Monday  just  before  I  set 
out  on  my  Journey  [to  Woodstock]  I  received  a  Letter 
in  Hebrew  from  Rabbi  Isaac  Karigal,  in  answer  to 
mine.  To-day  I  sent  a  Note  to  him,  and  this  After 
noon  he  made  me  a  Visit  accompanied  with  Mr.  Lopez. 
We  spent  the  Afternoon  very  agreeably.  We  had  much 
Conversation  upon  the  Antiquity  of  the  Hebrew  Let 
ters  [see  supra,  under  May  15th.]  ....  We  went  to  the 
Redwood  Library.*  He  admired  the  Writings  of 
Selden." 

[June  8th,  ibid.]:  "The  Rabbi  told  me  that  he  had 
nothing  written  when  he  preached  at  the  Synagogue — 
but  that  he  had  sealed  it  first  in  his  head  and  so  deliv 
ered  it — that  he  was  able  to  recollect  it  and  to  gratify 
the  Jews  here  he  should  write  it  in  Spanish,  and  they 
would  translate  it  into  English,  and  then  he  would  give 
me  a  Copy.  But  he  would  not  consent  that  it  should 
be  printed.  He  said  that  none  but  Rabbis  preached, 
and  they  usually  preached  on  all  the  Holidays,  but  not 
every  Sabbath,  &  always  without  notes. "t 

[ON  THE  PRONUNCIATION  OF  THE  NAME  OF  EGYPT  :] 
[June  llth,  -  -  p.  385]:  "Speaking  of  the  Cir 
cumcision  of  the  Copti  Christians,  I  observed  R.  Is. 
Karigal  pronounced  it  not  Copt  but  Kipt.  I  suppose 
this  is  a  relict  of  the  old  Name  in  Homer's  Day.  Egypt 
which  the  English  pronounce  Ejipt,  the  Germans  nearly 


*  Among  the  "Names  of  the  Redwood  Library  Compa.," 
incorporated  August  29,  1747,  we  find  Abm  Hart  and  Moses 
Lopez.  Cf.  Willner,  in  Publications  of  the  American  Jewish 
Historical  Society,  No.  8  (1900),  p.  123.— G.  A.  K. 

\  Another  homiletic  publication  issued  subsequently  by  I^abbi 
Carigal  is  said  to  be  extant  in  the  library  of  the  New  York  His 
torical  Society.  Cf.  my  paper  on  "  Early  Jewish  Literature  in 
America,"  in  Publications  of  the  Am.  Jew.  Hist.  Soc.,  No.  3,  p. 
144. -G.  A.  K. 


1*4 

Ecipt  or  Ekipt  —  the  English  accent  the  E,  the  Germans 
the  y  and  almost  suppress  the  E.  If  we  consider  y  as 
Y  or  ui;  and  accenting  i  assume  the  power  of  vi  in 
Guipt  as  wi  in  wit,  at  the  same  time  using  u  as  a  vowel 
and  not  as  V,  we  shall  come  nearly  to  the  original 
sound  of  Eguipt  or  'Guipt  or  'Kuipt  or  'Gipt  or  'Cypt 
or  'Gypt  —  Thus  Equipt  armed.  Homer  wrote  it 
The  Hebrews  called  that  country  Mitzraim, 


but  if  we  write  Egypt  in  Hebrew  Letters  and  point  the 
Vav  with  hirak  it  will  show  not  Egopt  nor  Egupt  but 
Eguipt  or  Egipt  not  Ejipt  but  Ekipt  or  Kipt,  as  the 
Rabbi  called  it." 

[June  14-th,  -  -pp.  386-7.}  "In  the  Forenoon  I 
went  to  visit  the  Rabbi  —  discoursed  on  Ventriloquism 
&  the  Witch  of  Endor  &  the  Reality  of  bringing  up 
Samuel.  He  had  not  heard  of  Ventriloquism  before 
and  still  doubted  it.  He  showed  me  a  Hebrew  Letter 
from  Isaac  Pinto  a  Jew  in  N.  York,*  in  which  Mr.  Pinto 
who  is  now  reading  Aben  Ezra  desires  R.  Carigals 
Tho'ts.  upon  some  Arabic  in  Aben  Ezra.  But  the 
Rabbi  says  he  supposes  Aben  Ezra  wrote  in  the  Goran 
Arabic  which  he  doth  not  understand.  The  Rabbi  .  .  . 
is  extremely  fond  of  persuads  himself  that  there  has  been 
no  change  in  the  Pentateuch  since  Moses  left  it  ;  and 
shewed  me  a  Passage  of  St.  Austin  de  Civitate  Dei  in 
a  Hebrew  book  of  David  Nieto  ;  it  was  rendered  into 
Hebrew  to  this  Effect,  that  there  was  an  Impossibility 
that  the  Jews  shd.  have  corrupted  their  holy  Books, 
since  in  all  Dispersions  they  were  found  the  same.  He 
was  much  pleased  that  he  was  able  to  shew  me  some 
thing  out  of  our  Fathers  for  my  Extracts  out  of  his 
Rabbins.  —  I  turned  him  to  the  strong  Expression  in  his 

*  On  Isaac  Pinto  of  New  York,  author  of  an  English  trans 
lation  of  the  Portuguese  Ritual  (a  facsimile  of  whose  title-page 
js  given  in  ishop  Wright's  Early  Prayerbooks  in  America, 
New  York,  18%).  cf.  my  notes  supra,  Appendix  I.,  and  in  Pub. 
lications,  No.  3.  pp.  118-122;  cf.  also,  No.  4,  pp.  129,  227-228. 

G.  A.  K. 


125 

Letter  "  your  Love  has  made  such  an  indelible  impres 
sion  upon  the  inmost  Tho'ts.  &  Affections  of  my  Heart 
that  Volumes  of  Books  are  not  sufficient  to  write  the 
thousandth  part  of  the  eternal  Love  wherewith  I  love 
thee" — and  asked  him  how  he  could  use  so  strong  an 
Expression  of  Friendship  ?  He  in  reply  said  he  wished 
well  to  others  besides  his  own  Nation,  he  loved  all 
Mankind,  &  turned  me  to  Levit.  xix,  i8, — thou  shalt 
love  thy  Neighbour  as  thyself." 

[June  23' d,  pp.  388-9.  J :  ' '  In  the  Afternoon  Mr  Delisle 
and  I  went  and  visited  the  Rabbi,  and  conversed  with 
him  from  III  o'clock  to  Sunset.  Then  I  went  to  a 
monthly  Evening  Meeting  at  Col.  Daytons  and  preached 

on  Col.  I,  12,  14 I  asked  him  [Carigal]  wether  a 

Man  losing  his  Wife  by  Death,  might  marry  her  Sister 
afterwards? — requesting  his  Exposition  of  Levit.  xviii, 
18.  He  asked  what  should  forbid  it  ?  and  added,  it 
was  frequently  practiced  with  the  Jews — it  was  plain 
from  the  Words  of  Moses,  "in  her  Lifetime"  that  the 
prohibition  extended  no  longer,  and  that  after  the  Life 
time  and  at  the  death  of  his  Wife  the  prohibition  ceased. 
I  asked  him  whether  a  man  might  Marry  his  Wife's 
Sister's  Daughter?  he  asked  what  should  forbid  it?  it 
was  often  done  so  with  the  Jews.  I  said  Moses  forbid 
an  Aunt  marrying  the  Nephew,  or  a  Woman  to  marry 
her  Sister's  Son,  and  why  not  a  man  to  marry  his 
(Wife's)  Sisters  Daughter.  He  said  there  was  a  diffe. 
rence — the  Aunt  and  Nephew  mentioned  by  Moses 
were  of  Kin  i.  e.  one  blood  and  one  flesh  ;  not  so  the 
Wifes  Sisters  Daughter. — I  ought  to  have  stated  the 
Case  a  little  otherwise,  and  put  the  parrallel  Question, 
on  a  Woman  or  Aunt  marrying  her  Husbands  Brothers 
Son,  where  there  is  no  blood " 

{June  27 -8th, pp.  391-3}  :  "  Rabbi  Isaac  Carigal  was  at 
Meeting  in  the  Forenoon,  having  asked  me  Liberty 
before  hand.  I  sent  my  son  to  wait  upon  him  to  my 
house  before  Meeting  and  he  came  accompanied  with 


126 

two  Jews — I  put  them  into  my  Pew.     These  are  the 
notes  or  leading  Thoughts  in  the  Sermon  I  preached. 

Ps.  cvi,  4,  5. 

1.  The  Seed  of  Jacob  are  a  chosen  and  favorite  peo 
ple  of  the  most  High,  and  the  subjects  of  the  peculiar 
Care  of  Heaven,  and  of  most  marvellous  Dispensations. 
11.  That  notwithstanding  God's  Chastisements  of  their 
Iniquity  &  Imperfection  in  Calamities,  Captivities  and 
Dispersions  ;  yet  God  hath  not  forgotten  his  Covenant 
with  Abraham  and  his  posterity,  but  intends  them  great 
Happiness  and  will  fulfill  his  promise  in  making  them  a 
very  glorious  Nation  and  a  Blessing  to  the  World  in  the 
latter  Day  Glory  of  the  Messiahs  Kingdom.  111.  It 
should  be  the  Desire  of  Christians  and  of  all  Nations, 
to  partake  hereafter  with  Israel  in  their  future  glorious 
state,  that  we  may  share  &  rejoyce  in  the  Gladness  of 
God's  people  &  the  Glory  of  his  Inheritance 

IMPROVEMENT. 

1.  Hence  how  highly  priviledged  was  Israel  in  being 
chosen  &c.?  2.  Hence  learn  the  Design  of  Providence 
in  still  preserving  a  Remnant  of  this  people,  that  of  this 
seed  he  may  make  a  glorious  Nation  hereafter.  Jer. 
xlvi,  27,  28.  3.  Hence  learn  the  Dignity  and  Glorious 
Character  of  the  Messiah.  He  is  worthy  of  all  Honor 
and  Obedience  and  Love  and  Praise  from  all  the  Nations 
on  Earth,  yea  from  all  Worlds.  4.  Live  so  holily  here, 
that  we  may  all  come  together  united  in  one  glorious 
Body  before  the  Throne  of  God ;  and  joys  in  the  end 
less  Hallelujahs  of  the  Eternal  World. 

These  are  only  Minutes  which  I  had  written  before 
me ;  but  I  enlarged  in  Delivery,  being  an  hour  and 
quarter  in  Sermon.  The  Rabbi  came  home  and  staid 
with  me  till  1  h.  o'clock.  He  said  he  had  never  heard  a 
Christian  preach  a  Sermon  before — and  yet  he  had  been 
at  Church  in  St.  Peters  in  Rome  and  St.  Pauls  in  Lon 
don,  and  at  Venice  &C  &c.  but  never  heard  anything 


127 

but  prayers.  He  had  been  in  the  Christian  Chhs  at 
Jerusalem,  but  heard  only  Prayers.  Thus  he  said,  I 
was  the  first  Minister  he  had  ever  heard  preach  in  all 
his  Travels.  He  said  the  Latin  Church  at  Jerusalem 
had  an  Organ,  but  none  other;  neither  Greek  or  Arme 
nian  &c.  Churches  in  the  East  have  any  Organ.  I  asked 
whether  Davids  Organ  was  like  the  Organs  in  Churches  ? 
he  smiled  and  said,  he  did  not  know.  I  asked  him 
whether  they  had  organs  in  the  Synagogues  ?  he  said 
he  never  saw  but  one,  and  he  knew  not  of  any  other — 
in  the  Synagogue  at  Prague  he  saw  and  heard  an 
Organ He  brought  me  a  copy  of  his  own  Ser 
mon  at  the  Synagogue,  translated  into  English.  He 
said  he  understood  near  half  my  Sermon  to-day. 

This  Afternoon  the  Rabbi  visited  me.  We  spent  the 
Afternoon  very  agreeably.  He  told  me  that  there  was 
one  Rabbi  at  the  Synagogue  in  Jamaica,  another  at 
Surinam,  and  a  third  at  Eustatia  or  Curacoa.  Thus 
there  are  now  three  Rabbis  settled  in  America.  There 
are  none  on  the  Continent  of  No.  America.  The  Rabbi 
has  a  prospect  of  settling  in  the  Synagogue  at  Antigua, 
and  this  will  mase  a  fourth  in  America.  Isaac  Carigal 
says  he  was  made  a  Rabbi  when  he  was  about  19  or 
twenty  years  old.  He  said  the  Ceremony  of  Imposition 
of  Hands  was  not  used  in  these  Days — that  after  an 
Examination  and  Approbation  by  other  Rabbies  they 
gave  him  a  written  Certificate  in  which  he  was  declared 
a  Rabbi.  He  wants  now  3  or  4  months  of  being  fourty 
years  old,  so  was  born  A.  D.  1733,  and  was  made  a 
Rabbi  about  A.  D.  1753.  He  began  to  travel  aet.  20. 
and  has  visited  Damascus,  Alleppo,  Grand  Cairo,  Bag- 
dat,  Ispahan,  Smyrna,  Constantinople,  Salonica,  Rome, 
Florence,  Bologna,  Venice,  Vienna,  Prague,  Paris,  Lon 
don,  &c.  Of  all  Cities  he  gives  the  preference  to  Ven 
ice  &  London." 

[June  29th,  ibid.\  :  "  Copying  the  English  Translation 
of  R.  Carigal's  Sermon  at  Pentecost/'  \Vide,  supra.\ 


ia8 

[June  30th\ :  "  This  Afternoon  Mr.  Abraham  de  Isaac 
Tauro  the  Hazan  or  Reader  in  the  Synagogue  here  was 
married  to  Miss  Hayes  a  Jewess.  Rabbi  Isaac  per 
formed  the  Ceremony."  [Cf.  Daly's  Settlement  of  the 
Jews  in  N.  America,  2nd  ed.,  N.  Y.,  1893,  p.  81,  note 
87.] 

[July  5th,p.  394} :  "  Visited  the  Rabbi." 

lJuly  7th,  pp.  394-6}  :  "  This  Afternoon  I  spent  with 
the  Rabbi.  ...  I  asked  him  when  he  expected  the  Mes 
siah  ?  He  said  daily,  probably  within  about  40  years— 
but  they  had  no  Reckoning  in  which  they  were  agreed. 

I  asked  if  he  had  any  knowledge  of  the  Relicts 

of  the  Tribe  of  Manasseh  at  Patna  or  the  Ganges  in 
Bengal  ?  He  said  no — and  was  surprised  with  the 
account  I  related  to  him  given  by  English  Merchants 
I  told  him  I  had  written  a  Letter  to  Astracan  to  inquire 
after  the  X  Tribes  [cf.  supra,  pp.  9-13,  50],  and  the 
Queries  I  sent — as  Circumcision  on  8th  Day,  Aversion 
to  Swine's  flesh,  Marriage  Leviri  cum  Glore  &c.  This 
brought  on  the  Question  about  the  Countenance  of  the 
Usage  of  marrying  a  Brothers  Wife.  He  said  the  Rab 
bins  had  for  a  long  Time  been  against  this  practice, 
except  under  a  perfect  state  of  their  Inheritance  and 
Religion :  that  they  recommended  the  pulling  off  the 
Shoe  &c — and  that  this  was  usually  done,  especially  at 
Constantinople — that  sometimes  the  Brother  would  not 
give  up  his  right,  and  then  the  Widow  was  held  not  to 
marry  any  else — that  this  particularly  was  the  Case  of 
his  own  Daughter,  who  had  been  married  to  her  Hus 
band  but  a  few  months,  and  he  dying  his  Brother  insists 
on  her  as  his  Right,  but  she  refusing  to  marry  him,  is 
however  so  tied  to  him  (as  the  Rabbi  expressed  it)  that 
she  cannot  marry  to  another :  tho'  she  would  be  glad 
to  cast  away  the  shoe. 


MEMOIR  OF  #.  ISAAC  KARIGAL. 

A.  D.  1733,  Oct.  15  or  Tisri  15  A.  M.  5493  born  at 
Hebron ;  &  studied  under  R.  David  Malamed,  R.  Meir 
Gedalia,  R.  Mordecai  Zabi,  R.  Haijm  Jehuda  Gomez 
Pato,  R.  Haijm  Rechamim  Bajaiu  Brother  of  Mordecai, 
and  R.  Isaac  Zedeka ;  the  three  first  dead,  the  others 
now  living. 

1750.  JEtat.  17,  created  and  entituled  Hocham  & 
Rabbi  by  the  above  Rabbins  at  Hebron.  The  Honor 
pronounced  and  declared  by  R.  David  Malamed.  Read 
half  the  Talmud.  Began  to  preach.  Some  created  at 
reading  a  quarter  of  the  Talmud. 

1754.  y£t.  20  y<2,  began  his  Travels.  Went  first  to 
Egypt,  visited  Damiata,  Alexandria  &  Cairo  2  or  3 
months  ; — thence  by  Water  to  Smyrna,  resided  there  2 
or  3  months  ; — thence  to  Constantinople,  resided  there 
two  years  ; — thence  by  Land  to  Adrianople  and  Salon- 
ica  and  by  Water  again  to  Smyrna,  about  3  months  ;— 
rom  Smyrna  by  Land  in  a  Caravan  thro'  the  lesser 
Asia  by  'Cogni,  and  Aleppo  to  Damascus; — from  Da 
mascus  to  Aleppo  again,  thence  across  Euphrates  to 
Ur  of  Chaldees,  Bagdat  and  Ispahan,  which  terminated 
his  oriental  Travels :  From  Ispahan  back  to  Aleppo. 

1757.  Embarking  on  board  ship  at  Scandarone  he 
arrived  at  Leghorn  in  Italy  Oct°  1757.  Spent  two  years 
in  travelling  Europe.  From  Leghorn  he  went  to  Flor 
ence,  Rome,  Bologna,  Milan,  Padua,  Venice  (twice)* 
Vienna,  Prague,  Nuremberg,  Ausburg,  Frankfort, 
Mentz,  Holland  and  London. 

1761.  He  came  to  Curacoa  in  America,  &  tarried 
there  two  years,  taking  care  of  the  Synagogue  in  room 
of  one  gone  to  Holland  to  finish  his  Studies  and  be 
made  a  Rabbi  :  upon  whose  Return  R.  Isaac  went 
about. 

1764.  From  Curacoa  for  Amsterdam — &  theuce  over 
Land  to  Frankfort,  Nuremberg,  Ausburge,  to  Leghorn. 
At  Leghorn  took  ship  for  the  holy  Land,  landed  at  Joffa 
or  Joppa,  thence  rode  to  Jerusalem  in  one  day,  and  in 


half  a  day  more  the  next  day  to  Hebron  (in  Aug.  1764)— 
arriving  at  Hebron  21  Days  after  he  sailed  from  Leghorn. 
He  has  a  Wife,  a  Son  and  a  Daughter  at  Hebron.  He 
tarried  at  Hebron  almost  four  years ;  and  then 

1768.  Shipt  at  Joppa  and  landed  at  Marseilles;— 
thence  by  Land  through  France,  resided  at  Paris  4 
months ;  thence  to  England.  He  resided  at  London 
2  Yz  years,  and  taught  the  scholars  in  the  Bit  Madrash 
there,  receiving  an  annual  Salary  of  £100  sterling 
There  was  but  one  Rabbi  in  Office  in  London  R.  Moses 
Cohen  Azavado  now  living :  R.  Nieto  was  indeed  living 
then,  but  Emeritus  or  out  of  Office. 

1771.  From  London  R.  Isaac  came  a  second  Time 
to  America  and  went  to  Jamaica,  where  he  staid  one 
year,  and  remitted  thence  Via  London  and  Leghorn 
1000  Dollars  to  his  Wife  in  Hebron. 

1772.  He  came  from  Jamaica  in  the  Summer  of  1772 
to  Philadelphia  where  he  staid  one  month  ;  and  came  to 
N.  York  where  he  staid  5  y2  months ;  and  arrived  at 
Newport   March   3,    1773.      He    goes    from   hence   to 
Surinam.  Ex  Ore  Rabbi 

(Died  in  Barbadoes  1778  circa.) 

[July  12-19tk,  pp.  398-400}:  "The  Rabbi  came  and 

spent  the  Afternoon  with  me He  said,  when  he 

was  a  Boy  set.  10,  there  came  to  Hebron  a  Samaritan, 
who  spent  the  Sabbath  I  think  at  the  House  where  he 
lived— that  the  Samaritan  kept  the  Sabbath  very  strictly 
&  soberly  continually  reading  his  Prayers,  but  did  not 
go  to  the  Synagogue  with  the  Jews  at  the  Time  of  their 
Worship,  but  went  there  afterwds. — that  he  supposes 
they  must  have  a  considerable  Collection  of  Prayers,  & 
thinks  the  most  of  them  may  be  probably  like  the  Jews, 
&  so  very  antient." 

[14th] :   "Writing  an  Hebrew  Letter." 

[15tk] :  "  Spent  the  Afternoon  with  the  Rabbi,  partly 
at  the  Redwood  Library  and  partly  at  my  House.  I 
asked  him  whether  the  Rabbins  of  this  Age  thought 


themselves  to  have  any  particular  Reasons  for  expect 
ing  the  Messiah  immediately?  He  said  not;  but  he 
thought  it  was  high  Time  for  him  to  come  ;  He  added, 
that  if  all  Nations  were  in  War  and  universal  Tumult 
and  Confusion,  then  he  should  expect  him  immediately, 
but  this  not  being  more  the  Case  now  than  in  every  cur 
rent  Age,  &c  .....  The  Rabbi  has  the  Zohar  in  3  vol. 
4to,  printed  at  Constantinople  .....  " 

[16th]  :  "  Comparing  my  Zohar  with  the  Rabbi's.  In 
company  with  the  Rabbi.  He  told  me  he  rode  over  the 
River  Jordan  on  Horse-back  against  Jericho  which  was 
near  the  River  :  he  said  it  was  a  very  shallow  River  and 
almost  dry  in  Summer.  He  had  been  at  all  the  twelve 
or  13  Synagogues  in  the  Holy  Land,  and  gave  me  the 
following  account  which  I  wrote  from  his  Mouth. 

(  5  Synagogues  at  Jerusalem,  large 

One  Thousand  |  2  at  Saphat  large  2  at  Damascus 

Families      \  1  at  Tiberias  small  ^      1  at  Sidon 


Jews  in  all 

Judea 
or  Holy  Land 
A.  D.  1733. 


1  at  Hebron  large  107  Families,  1  at  Alleppo,  large 
1  at  Gaza  large  Only  12  Synagogues 

1  at  Shechem  small  in  the  Holy  Land 


1  at  Acco  —  large 


12  and  1  at  Jaffa  only  a  Chamber  for  Worship 
(_     occasionally,  but  not  every  Sabbath. 

He  said  there  were  more  Synagogues  in  Syria  than 
Palestine  .....  " 

[18th]  :  "  In  the  Evening  Rabbi  H.  I.  Karigal  came  to 
take  his  Leave  of  me  and  my  Family,  which  he  did  very 
affectionately.  He  is  to  sailthe  first  Wind  for  Surinam.  " 

[19th]  :  "  Finishing  a  Hebrew  Letter  to  the  Rabbi.  In 
the  Afternoon  I  visited  the  Rabbi,  and  shewed  him  my 
Letter  which.  I  had  not  Time  to  copy  it  being  four 
leaves  or  eight  pages.  He  desired  me  to  copy  it  and 
send  it  to  him,  and  to  correspond  with  [him],  telling  me 
he  would  always  wrifeto  me  from  any  part  of  the  World 
wherever  he  should  be.  As  he  had  told  me  that  he  had 
rode  over  Jordan  against  Jericho,  I  observed  to  him 
that  he  had  then  seen  the  place  where  Joshua  led  Israel 
thro'  Jordan  on  dry  Ground;  and  asked  him  if  the 
stones  Joshua  put  in  the  Bottom  of  Jordan  were  still  in 


being— adding  that  if  they  were  there  they  might  easily 
be  found,  as  the  water  was  so  shallow.  He  said  he  did 
not  think  of  it  when  he  passed  Jordan,  but  that  he 
believed  the  place  of  the  Passage  was  a  little  higher 

up Mr.  Rivera*  shewed  me  a  Marriage  Contract 

of  his  Wife  to  her  former  Husband.     Conversed  upon 

their  Customs   as  to    Matrimony I  asked  the 

Rabbi  whether  there  would  be  any  marrying,  any  Rela 
tions  of  Husbands  and  Wives  in  the  Resurrection  ?  he 
said  yes.  Whether  Sarah  would  then  be  Abraham's 
Wife?  yes.  If  a  woman  had  had  more  Husbands  than 
one,  whose  wife  would  she  be  ?  particularly  whose  Wife 
would  Mrs.  Rivera  be  then  present,  whether  Mr.  Rive 
ra's  or  her  former  Husbands — in  the  Resurrection? 
The  Rabbi  was  at  a  loss  and  could  not  determine.  He 
said  there  were  various  opinions  about  it — God  Al 
mighty  could  only  could  determine — he  was  contented 
to  know  that  the  Resurrection  state  would  be  happy 
and  glorious,  though  he  did  not  pretend  to  be  able  to 
answer  and  solve  all  Questions  and  mysteries  concern 
ing  the  Circumstances  of  the  Resurrection  state.  He 
again  took  leave  of  me  very  affectionately  praying  God 
to  bless  me.  I  told  him  I  parted  from  him  with  great 
Reluctance,  and  should  ever  retain  an  affection  for  him 
that  it  was  probable  we  might  never  see  each  other  in 
the  Land  of  the  Living  and  wished  we  might  after 
Death  meet  together  in  the  Garden  of  Eden  and  there 
rejoyce  with  Abraham  Isaac  and  Jacob,  and  with  the 
Soul  of  the  Messiah  till  the  Resurrection.  He  wished 
me  reciprocally  and  my  Family  every  Blessing  and 
desired  me  to  write  him  by  every  opportunity — said  he 
loved  me  from  the  Heart,  had  my  Name  in  his  Book, 
and  should  send  it  to  Jerusalem,  where  I  should  be  soon 
known  as  I  was  here." 


*  Jacob  Rodriguez  Rivera,  one  of  the  most  prominent  of  the 
early  (Portuguese)  Jews  in  Newport.  He  was  a  large  importer' 
particularly  of  dry-goods.  He  died  Feb,  19,  1789,  aged  75  years. 

[Editor.] 


133 

\July  21st,  p.  400}:  "This  day  Rabbi  Haijm  Isaac 
Karigal  sailed  for  Surinam." 

\Sept.  30th,  p.  414}  :  "  Finished  Transcript  of  Letter 
to  the  Rabbi." 

[Dec.  3rd  and  30th,  pp.  423,  427  \  :  "  Finished  a  He 
brew  Letter  of  24  pages  to  R.  Haijm  Isaac  Karigal." 

"  Finished  another  Copy  of  my  Lett,  in  Heb.  to  R. 
Carigal  in  29  pages." 

[Dec.  25th,  p.  426]:  "Received  a  Letter  from  R. 
Haijm  Isaac  Carigal  dated  at  Surinam  Sept.  19." 

[July  19th,  1775,  p.  589}  :  "  Writing  a  Hebrew  Letter 
to  Rabbi  Carigal  of  Barbadoes."  [On  Nov.  3,  1775,  he 
received  another  letter  from  Carigal  (cf.  p.  631.)  Cf. 
also  Willner,  Publications,  No.  8,  pp.  124-5]. 

On  July  22,  1775,  Dr.  Stiles  sent  a  packet  to  "  Rabbi 
Carigal  at  Barbadoes"  (vol.  i.,  p.  591);  a  portrait  of 
the  Rabbi  is  mentioned  in  vol.  iii.,  p.  94,  Oct.  19,  1783.] 


APPENDIX    111. 


MISCELLANEOUS   NOTES. 
NOTES  ON  SOME  JEWS  MENTIONED  IN  THE  DIARY. 

Owing  to  exigencies  of  space,  a  number  of  interesting 
passages  concerning  English  Jews  and  Judaism  in  gen 
eral,  had  to  be  omitted  by  the  present  writer.  Some 
of  these  references  will  be  discussed  by  him  elsewhere; 
in  this  appendix  it  is  intended  to  call  attention  to  certain 
data,  furnished  by  the  diarist,  which  it  has  been  deemed 
best  to  group  under  one  rubic.  The  notes  and  paralleled 
illustrations  accompanying  these  extracts,  though  for 
the  most  part  accessible,  will  not  be  considered  out  of 
place  by  the  general  reader,  to  whom  the  tedium  of 
research  is  not  so  attractive. 

1.  JEWS  IN  CHARLESTON,  S,  C, 

[Vol.  I,  p.  453,  August  2,  1774]  :  (<  In  the  Afternoon 
I  was  visited  by  Mr.  Acosta  a  Jew  Huzzan  of  the 
Synagogue  in  Charleston,  So.  Carolina.  He  is  aet.  52. 
born  in  London  &  educated  under  Hochem  Rabbi 
Nieto  there  till  aet.  29.  Then  he  came  to  America  & 
in  1754  instituted  a  Synagogue  at  Charleston." 

Who  Acosta  was  we  cannot  determine.  There  are 
so  many  Covtas,  Acostas  and  Da  Costas  mentioned  in 
Jewish  contemporaneous  annals,  that  it  is  impossible 
to  identify  him.  The  poet  and  historian,  Isaac  da  Costa, 
has  written  a  brief  account  of  Jewish  Peerage  (Adelijke 
Geslachten  onder  de  Israeliteri],  as  an  appendix  to  his 
work  Israel  en  de  Volken  (Utrecht,  1876,  pp.  460-537), 
where  a  historic  sketch  of  this  family  is  given  (see  also 
the  indices  to  all  the  nine  volumes  of  the  Publications 
of  the  American  Jewish  Historical  Society  for  several 
references  to  the  same  name).  Among  the  earliest 
Jewish  settlers  in  Charleston  are  mentioned  Abraham 
and  Isaac  De  Costa  (vide  Judge  Daly's  Settlement  of  the 


Jews  in  North  America,  ed.  Kohler,  New  York,  1893, 
p.  76,  note). 

Another  Hazzan,  a  near  kinsman  of  Moses  Cohen  de 
Azevedo,  Haham  of  the  Portuguese  Synagogue  in 
London,  and  son  of  a  Charleston  Rabbi  was  called  to 
fill  the  post  of  Reader  in  that  city,  at  the  beginning  of 
the  XlXth  century.  His  sojourn  there  was  brief  and 
he  parted  from  his  people  in  bitterness  of  spirit.  James 
Picciotto,  in  his  fascinating  Sketches  of  Anglo- Jewish 
History,  London,  1876,  pp.  271-2*  has  this  to  say  about 
the  unpleasant  episode  :• 

"In  1807  the  Bevis  Marks  Synagogue  furnished  a 
minister  to  the  Portuguese  Congregation  of  Charleston, 
South  Carolina,  in  the  person  of  Benjamin  Cohen 
D'Azevedo,  son  of  their  former  Rabbi.  The  South 
Carolinians,  who  had  trumpeted  forth  their  wants  in 
high  sounding  language,  and  had  dwelt  on  their  poten 
tial  liberality  and  generosity  in  terms  which  at  all 
events  had  not  the  merit  of  modesty,  showed  scant 
courtesy  to  the  nominee  of  the  parent  Synagogue 
itself.  They  sent  back  Benjamin  C.  D'Azevedo  with 
out  assigning  any  plausible  cause.  This  line  of  con 
duct  stung  to  the  quick  the  Portuguese  pride  of  the 
rulers  of  Bevis  Marks,  who  resented  it  in  no  measured 
words,  and  took  the  returned  minister  in  their  service 
as  teacher." 

We  remark  in  passing  that  Moses  Cohen  de  Azevedo 
(or  D'Azevedo),  is  the  author  of  a  sermon  (and  "Order 
of  Service")  held  in  Bevis  Marks  Synagogue  Dec.  13, 
1776  (3rd  of  Tebet  5537),  upon  the  day  appointed  as  a 
day  of  humiliation  and  prayer  for  the  success  of  the 
Royal  arms,  and  restoration  of  peace,  at  the  time  of 
the  revolt  of  the  American  Colonies.  A  copy  of  this 
rare  tract  is  in  the  library  of  the  British  Museum  and 
another  was  exhibited,  as  the  property  of  Mr.  Clarence 
de  Sola,  at  theJAnglo-Jewish  Historical  Exhibition,  held 
in  London,  in  1887  (see  Catalogue  [London,  1887],  p. 
41,  No.  859;  G.  A.  Kohut,  in  Publications  of  the  Am.- 


if* 

Jew.    Hist.    Soc.,    No.    6,   p.   159;    for   fuller  title   see 
Zedner's  Catalogue,  London,  1867,  p.  477). 

As  to  the  Jews  in  Charleston,  information  is  at  hand 
in  a  number  of  articles  scattered  in  various  places, 
notably  in  vols.  I.  and  II.  of  The  Occident,  edited  by 
Rev.  Dr.  Isaac  Leeser,  in  Hannah  Adams's  History  of 
the  Jews,  ed.  of  London,  1818,  pp.  465-67  (quoted  from 
a  letter  written  Jan.,  1811,  by  Mr.  Philip  Cohen,  "a 
respectable  Jewish  merchant  in  Charleston");  Judge 
Daly's  Stttlement,  2nd  ed.,  pp.  70,  71,  75-6,  105  seq.; 
Publications  of  the  Am.  Jew.  Hist.  Soc.,  No.  2,  pp.  6, 
51-55;  No.  3,  pp.  92-94;  No.  9,  p.  101;  Lady  Magnus, 
Outlines  of  Jewish  History,  Philadelphia,  1890,  pp.  350, 
351,  357,  362;  Simon  Wolf,  The  American  Jeiv  as  Patriot, 
Soldier  and  Citizen,  Philadelphia.  1895,  pp.  40,  372-81; 
Cyrus  Adler,  in  Jewish  Encyclopedia,  voi.  I.  (New 
York,  1901),  pp.  4982  ,  5032  ,  313;  see  also  supra,  p.  153. 

2.— A  NEWPORT  JEW,  A  PORTRAIT,  AND 
AN  EPITAPH. 

[Vol.  I,  p.  620,  October  3,  1775] :  "  Mr.  Isaac  Mark 
a  learned  Jew  gave  me  the  Picture  of  R.  Manasse  Ben 
Israel  who  was  aet.  38,  A.  D.  1642  :  a  very  learned 
Hocham  &  Philosopher,  &  in  great  Reputation  among 
the  Christian  Learned  in  Italy.  R.  Judah  Monis  the 
Hebrew  Professor  at  Harv.  Coll.  made  much  Use  of 
his  Writings  &  taught  them  as  a  classical  Book." 
We  know  nothing  concerning  the  identity  of  Isaac  Mark. 
The  name  Marks  is  not  uncommon  in  American  Jewish 
annals  (see  the  Indices  to  the  9  vol's.  of  the  Publications 
above  quoted),  but  no  reference  to  any  one  bearing 
that  name  in  Newport  has  been  found. 

A  search  through  the  Stiles  papers  in  Yale  University 
Library  may  bring  to  light  the  portrait  of  Manasseh  ben 
Israel.  In  this  connection  we  wish  to  add  that  a  pen- 
and-ink  sketch  of  the  painting  of  Rabbi  Hayyim  Isaac 
Carigal  (see  page  90),  made  in  1787  by  St.  John  Honey- 
wood,  a  graduate  of  Yale  in  1782, — from  whose  hand 


137 

there  is  a  pencil  sketch  of  "  Ezra  Stiles,  jun.  Esq.,  of 
Vermont,  ae.  22,"  dated  Sept.  13,  1780,  inserted  in  the 
Diary  (cf.  vol.  II,  p.  468,  note  1,  and  Index,  vol.  Ill, 
p.  6021,  under  "  Honey  wood  ") — is  preserved  among 
the  literary  remains  of  the  diarist.  It  is  about  one-half 
of  the  size  of  the  reproduction,  published  in  these 
pages.* 

As  to  Judah  Monis  and  his  curious  career  see  the 
data  referred  to  above  on  pp.  22,  23,  39-42.  We  subjoin 
the  inscription  on  his  wife's  tombstone,  taken  from  a 
volume  now  quite  scarce,  entitled:  "Epitaphs  \from 
the  Old  Burying  Ground  \  in  Cambridge  \  with  Notes 
by  William  Thaddeus  Harris,  Junior  Sophister  in 
Harvard  College,  |  Cambridge ;  Published  by  John 
Owen,  |  1845  ",  p.  114: 

Here  lyes  buried  y  body  of 
M's  ABIGAIL  MONIS  consort 
to  Mr  JUDAH  MONIS;  (Hebrew 
Instructor  in  Harvard  College] 
who  departed  this  life 
Octo*  y*  27th.  1760.  in  y 
Wh  year  of  her  age. 

This  epitaph  was  probably  composed  by  her  hus 
band,  who  died  four  years  after,  in  1764,  at  the  ad 
vanced  age  of  eighty-one  years,  forty  of  which  he 
spent  in  his  academic  office.  At  her  demise,  the  old 
Hebraist  retired  to  Northborough,  where  he  resided 
with  her  relations,  to  whom  he  bequeathed  a  consider 
able  portion  of  his  estate,  which  is  said  to  have  been 
quite  large  (see  Hannah  Adams,  History  of  the  Jews, 
the  edition  already  quoted,  p.  461  ;  G.  A.  Kohut,  in 
Publications,  No.  3,  p.  114). 


*  For  this  information  I  am    indebted  to  the  courtesy  of  Prof 
F.  B.  Dexter,  of  Yale  University. 


3.— OBITUARY  NOTICES  OF  THF  LOPEZ 
FAMIL  Y. 

[Vol.  I,  p.  529,  March  27,  1775]:  -Attended  the 
Funeral  cf  Mr.  David  Lopez  who  died  yesterday  Morn 
ing  aet.  61,  and  was  this  day  at  Noon  buried  in  the 
Jews  Burying  Ground.  He  came  from  Portugal  a  few 
years  ago,  &  with  his  two  sons  was  circumcised,  having 
been  obliged  to  live  secreted  in  Portugal.  No  Mourning 
tho'  the  Family  wealthy." 

Concerning  David  Lopez  I  find  but  one  solitary  note 
in  the  interesting  "  Genealogy  of  the  Lopez  Family," 
written  in  New  York  between  1822  and  1839  by  Sarah 
Lopez,  and  addressed  to  her  friend  Mrs.  Priscilla  Lopez 
of  Charleston,  by  her  request.  This  valuable  document 
is  printed  in  full  in  the  Publications  of  the  Am.  Jew. 
Hist.  Soc.,  No.  2,  pp.  103-6.  Reference  to  an  earlier 
David  Lopez  is  made  in  the  Diary  of  Samuel  Sewall 
1674-1719  ("Collection  of  Massachusetts  Historical 
Society,"  vol.  V,  fifth  series,  Boston,  1878),  vol.  I,  p.  231. 
Under  date  of  Oct.  16,  1688,  Judge  Sewall  informs  us 
that  his  daughter  "Little  Hannah  [born  1679;  died 
1724]  going  to  school  in  the  morn,  being  enter'd  a  little 
within  the  Schoolhouse  Lane,  is  rid  over  by  David 
Lopez.",  She  "  fell  on  her  back,"  continues  her  father, 
"but  I  hope  little  hurt,  save  that  her  Teeth  bled  a 

Little,  was  much  frighted  ;  but  went  to  school " 

She  survived  the  accident  thirty-six  years. 

[Vol.  Ill,  pp.  24-5,  June  8,  1782] :  "  On  28th  of  May 
died  that  amiable,  benevolent,  most  hospitable  &  very 
respectable  Gentleman  Mr.  Aaron  Lopez  Merchant,  who 
retire  from  Newp1  Rhd.  Isld  in  these  Times  resided 
from  1775  to  his  Death  at  Leicester  in  Massachusetts, 
He  was  a  Jew  by  Nation,  came  from  Spain  or  Portugal 
about  1754  &  settled  at  Rh.  Isld.  He  was  a  Merchant 
of  the  first  Eminence ;  for  Honor  &  Extent  of  Com 
merce  probably  surpassed  by  no  Mercht  in  America. 
He  did  Business  with  the  greatest  Ease  &  Clearness— 
always  carried  about  a  Sweetness  of  Behav  a  calm 


139 

Urbanity  an  agreeable  &  unaffected  Politeness  of  man 
ners.  Without  a  single  Enemy  &  the  most  universally 
beloved  by  an  extensive  Acquaintance  of  any  man  I 
ever  Knew.  Hia^  Beneficence  to  his  Famy  Connexions, 
to  his  Nation,  and  to  all  the  World  is  almost  without  a 
Parallel.  He  was  my  intimate  Friend  &  Acquaintance ! 
Oh !  how  often  have  I  wished  that  sincere  pious  & 
candid  mind  could  have  perceived  the  Evidences  of 
Xty,  perceived  the  Truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus  Christ,  known 
that  JESUS  was  the  MESSIAH  predicted  by  Moses  &  the 
Prophets  !  The  amiable  &  excellent  Characters  of  a 
Lopez,  of  a  Manasseh  Ben  Israel*,  of  a  Socrates^  &  a 
Gangenelli,  would  almost  persuade  us  to  hope  that  their 
Excellency  was  infused  by  Heaven,  and  that  the  vir 
tuous  &  good  of  all  Nations  &  religions,  notwithstandg 
their  Delusions,  may  be  bro't  together  in  Paradise  on 
the  Xtian  System,  finding  Grace  with  the  all  benevolent 
&  adorable  Emanuel  who  with  his  expiring  breath  &  in 
his  deepest  agonies,  prayed  for  those  who  knew  not 
what  they  did. 

Mr.  Lopez  was  journeys  with  his  Wife  &  some  of  his 
Famy  on  a  Visit  to  Newport,  and  within  five  Miles  of 
Providence  at  Scotts  pond  as  he  was  Waters  his  Horse, 
the  Horse  plunged  beyond  his  Depth  with  the  Sulky, 
when  Mr  Lopez  leaped  into  the  Water ;  &  tho  his 
servt  attempted  to  save  him  he  was  lost.  His  Corps 
was  carried  to  Newport  &  there  interred  in  the  Jew 
Burying  Ground  —  the  Demonstration  of  universal 
Sorrow  attended  the  Funeral." 

This  noble  tribute,  voiced  by  so  disinterested  a  per 
sonage  as  President  Stiles,  adequately  interprets  the 
general  esteem  in  which  the  benevolent  and  upright 
Aaron  Lopez  was  held  by  his  contemporaries.  The 

*  In  a  little  duodecimo  volume,  just  come  to  hand,  I  find 
equally  extravagant  praise  of  Manasseh  ben  Israel,  the  intimate 
friend  of  Vossius,  Barlaeus,  and  Hugo  Grotius.  The  book  is  en 
titled  :  Sorberiana  siveExcerpta  ex  oreSamuelis  Sorbiere,t\.z.. 
Tolosae,  1691;  see  pp.  147-149. 


140 

diarist  in  his  eulogy  is  so  carried  away  by  his  fervent 
regard  of  the  character  of  this  excellent  Israelite,  that 
he  expresses  his  hope  of  his  eternal  felicity,  quite  in 
accord  with  the  fine  precept  of  the  Rabbis,  who  said 
that  ' '  the  righteous  of  all  nations  have  a  share  in  the  life 
to  come."  If  the  Christological  phrasing  of  this  liberal 
sentiment  is  somewhat  narrower  than  the  Jewish 
teaching,  it  must  not  be  attributed  to  any  other  cause 
than  his  missionary  zeal  on  behalf  of  Christ.  He  was, 
withal,  mindful  of  the  dignity  and  convictions  of  others, 
differing  from  him  in  matters  of  faith  or  theological 
doctrine.  This  forbearance,  and  his  honest,  straight 
forward  manner  through  life,  belong  to  the  loftiest  traits 
of  his  character.  His  esteem  for  Aaron  Lopez  was 
held  to  be  so  great,  that  when  he  visited  Newport,  in 
May,  1783,  he  was  asked  to  compose  the  English 
inscription  for  that  eminent  Jew's  tomb.  According  to 
a  note  of  Prof.  Dexter's  (Diary  I.e.  note  1),  several 
drafts  of  the  epitaph  are  to  be  found  among  the  Presi 
dent's  unpublished  papers.  The  complete  inscription 
is  printed  in  the  Rhode  Island  Historical  Magazine,  vol. 
vi.  (October,  1885),  pp.  90-91,  where  a  collection  of 
other  Jewish  epitaphs  from  the  Hebrew  Cemetery  in 
Newport  is  given  by  the  Rev.  A.  P.  Mendes,  the  then 
minister  of  the  congregation  (printed  I.e.,  pp.  81-105  ; 
/.  also  Frankel's  Monatsschrift  ftier  die  Geschichte 
und  Wissenschaft  des  Judenthums,  vol.  iv,  p.  295etseg., 
and  the  authorities  cited  in  Publications  of  the  American 
Jew.  Hist.  Sec. ,  No.  6,  pp.  67,  68,  75).  The  English  of 
the  inscription  reads  very  appropriately  : 

*  He  was  a  merchant  of  eminence 
of  polite  and  amiable  manners. 
Hospitality,  Liberality  and  Benevolence 
were  his  true  characteristics 

An  ornament  and  valuable  Pillar  to 

the  Jewish  Society  of  which  he  was  a 

member.     His  knowledge  in  commerce 

was  unbounded  and  his  integrity  irreproachable  ; 


141 

thus  he  lived  and  died,  much  regretted, 
esteemed  and  loved  by  all. 

A  documentary  passage,  dated  Dec.  5th,  1786,  pre 
served  among  the  manuscripts  in  the  Library  of  Con 
gress,  speaks  of  him  as  "an  eminent  Jew  merchant," 
who  bore  "a  most  respectable,  unblemished  character 
and  was  universally  esteemed  "  (cf.  Publications,  No.  8, 
p.  147).  In  Emory  Washburn's  Brief  Sketch  of  the 
History  of  Leicester  Academy,  Boston  1855,  pp.  7,  8,  and 
9  will  be  found  an  interesting  account  of  the  personality 
and  estate  of  Aaron  Lopez,  whose  home  was  converted 
into  a  scholastic  institution  at  the  instigation  of  Colonel 
Crafts,  the  originator  of  the  project.  We  quote  from 
that  record  the  following  : 

" While  his  mind  was  thus  exercised  how  to 

accomplish  the  plan  he  had  conceived,  the  death  of 
Aaron  Lopez,  and  the  removal  of  the  families  of  Jews 
from  Leicester,  to  which  place  they  had  resorted  from 
Newport  to  escape  the  hostilities  which  the  English 
waged  upon  that  town,  opened  to  Col.  Crafts  the  means 
of  carrying  forward  his  favorite  scheme. 

"  Mr.  Lopez  was  one  of  the  merchant  princes  of  his 
day.  He  was  at  one  time  extensively  engaged  in  com 
merce  and  possessed  of  great  wealth.  He  was  dis 
tinguished  for  hospitality  and  benevolence,  and  his  fine 
gentlemanly  manners,  united  with  a  character  of  irre 
proachable  integrity,  secured  him  the  respect  and 
esteem  of  all  who  knew  him. 

"His  place  of  business  before  the  Revolution  had 
been  Newport,  then  the  commercial  emporium  of  New 
England.  In  the  summer  of  1777,  I  believe,^  he, 
together  with  several  other  families  of  Jews,  removed 
to  Leicester,  where  they  purchased  and  occupied  estates, 
and  Mr.  Lopez  resumed,  to  a  limited  extent,  his  mer 
cantile  pursuits. 

"  To  accomodate  these  and  to  provide  for  his  family 
a  suitable  residence,  he  erected  what  was  then  regarded 


as  a  spacious  and  commodious  dwelling-house,  contain 
ing  a  larger  center  room  for  the  purposes  of  a  store.  I 
shall  have  occasion  to  speak  more  particularly  of  this 
estate  in  another  connection. 

"  On  the  20th  day  of  May,  1782,  Mr.  Lopez  started 
with  his  family,  to  visit  Providence,  they  in  a  carriage, 
and  himself  in  a  gig  drawn  by  one  horse.  In  passing 
Scott's  pond,  in  Smithfield,  on  his  way,  he  drove  his 
horse  into  the  water,  as  was  supposed,  to  drink,  when, 
by  some  means,  he  got  beyond  his  depth,  upset  the 
gig,  and  Mr.  Lopez  was  drowned  in  the  very  presence 
of  his  family,  who  could  render  him  no  assistance  [see 
also  Daly  Settlement,  2d  ed.,  p.  86  for  another  account]. 

' '  (The  inventory  of  his  estate  shows  a  property  of 
nearly  $100,000,  including  a  stock-in-trade  of  more  than 
$12,000,  and  indicating  by  the  character  of  the  furni 
ture  and  family  stores  on  hand,  a  style  of  living  not 
common  at  that  day  in  the  country.) 

"  This  circumstance,  together  with  the  return  of 
peace,  induced  these  families  to  return  to  Newport, 
leaving,  however,  among  the  inhabitants  of  Leicester, 
a  grateful  remembrance  of  their  residence  here,  which 
was  cordially  reciprocated. 

"  This  train  of  events  rendered  it  necessary  to  sell 
the  estate  of  Mr.  Lopez,  and  the  same  was  offered  at 

auction The  original  deed  of  the  estate   bears 

date  May  7,  1783." 

The  residence  of  Aaron  Lopez  in  Leicester  was  soon 
thereafter  converted  into  an  Academy,  which  has  since 
become  the  alma  mater  of  some  of  the  foremost  men  of 
the  nation.  Dr.  Stiles  too,  refers  to  a  visit  of  his  to 
Leicester,  Mass.,  June  15,  1778  (cf.  Diary,  vol.  ii.,  p. 
273),  on  which  occasion  "Mr.  Rivera  a  Jew  Merch*  at 
part8  presented  him  with  half  dozen  Bottles  Wine  Sac." 
Much  useful  and  interesting  information  concerning  the 
sojourn  and  social  status  of  the  Newport  Jews  in  Lei 
cester,  will  be  found  in  an  article  on  "Aaron  Lopez  in 
Leicester,  prepared  through  the  courtesy  of  Hon.  N. 


'43 

Taylor  Phillips  [from  notes  supplied  by  the  Hon- 
Andrew  H.  Green,  of  New  York],"  published  in  the 
Jewish  Comment  (Baltimore),  Oct.  18,  1901,  pp.  3-5. 
For  other  particulars  on  the  life  and  services  of  Aaron 
Lopez,  see  the  indices  of  the  Publications  and  especially 
No.  6,  j,p.  70-75. 


INDEX 


|  Biblical  proper  names,  book  titles  and  other  irrelevant  items   are  not  included  :    nor 
are  the  "Additions  and  Corrections,"  at  the  end  of  the  book,  indexed.) 


Abarbinel     R..  49. 

Aben  Ezra,  49,  50,  124. 

Abraham,  Lewis,  62,  63. 

Abrahams,  Israel,  79,  94. 

Abulfeda,  99. 

Acosta,  Mr.,  134. 

Adams,  Hannah,  47,  86,  136, 
137. 

Adler,  Cyrus,  136. 

Afghans,  Jewish  Origin  of,  10. 

Ainsworth,  22. 

Alexander,  John,  40. 

Alfandari,  Aaron  ben  Moses, 
65. 

Aliphander,  Aaron,  65. 

Alison,  Francis.  20. 

Alvarez,  108. 

Aly  Bey,  114. 

Amsterdam,  94. 

A  nglo-Jewish  Historical  Ex 
hibition,  135. 

Anna  de  I<ohan,  70. 

Antigua,  \V.  I.,  93,  127. 

Antonia,  Princess  of  Wuertem- 
berg,  69. 

Apta,  Poland,  80. 

Arnold.  34. 

Ashkenazi,  83 ;  see  also  Moses 
Bar  David. 

Athias,  52. 

Auchmuty,  Judge,  19,  121. 

Austin,  Mr.,  19. 

Austin,  St.,  124. 

Azavado,  Moses  Cohen,  130. 

Azevedo,  Benjamin  Cohen,  135. 

Azevedo,  Moses  Cohen,  135. 

Azulai,  Abraham,  66. 

Azulai,  Hayyim  Joseph  David, 
65,  66,  80,  91. 


Bag  Ive  [?],  Phinehas  Morde- 

cai,  65. 
Bajaiu,  Haijm  I^echamim,  Rab 

bi,  129. 
Barbadoes,  W.  I.,  87,  120,  130, 

133. 

Barlaeus,  139. 
Bartlett,  26. 
Basnage,  50. 
Baxter,  Rev.  Mr.,  41. 
Bayerus,  106. 
Bevis     Marks     Synagogue     in 

London,  135. 

Bengal,  the  Ten  Tribes  in,  128. 
Ben  Jacob,  65. 
Berliner,  A.,  79. 
Bible,    Influence    of,    in    New 

England,  5-7. 
Boshal ,    Moses    ben    Solomon 

dei,  97. 

Bosquila,  Rabbi,  80,  97. 
Boston,  Jews  in,  46. 
Bradstreet,  Mr.,  43. 
Braunschweig,    Abraham    ben 

Eliezer,  95. 
Bruce,  11. 
Bruce,  J.,  71. 
Brunner,  A.  W.,  56. 
Buschal,  see  Boshal. 
Bush,  Rev.  Dr.,  10. 
Buxtorf,  John,  44,  69,  95. 
Byron,  Lord,  82. 

Car'gal  [Carigal],  91. 

Carigal  [Raphael],  Haijm  Isaac, 
16,  19,  38,  53,  56,  64,  66,  80, 
83,  96,  97,  99,  100,  111  and 
Appendix  II.  ; — his  person 
ality  described,  88-89;  91, 


146 


INDEX, 


114,  116-17,  121  ;— his  Por 
trait,  90;  Chronological  Me 
moir  of  his  Life,  129-130;— a 
pen-and-ink  Sketch  of  him 
among  the  Stiles  Papers, 
136-7. 

Carregal,  see  Carigal, 

Carvalho,  Emanuel  H,,  Rev., 
54, 

Charleston,  S.  C.,  Jews  in,  43r 
47  [Converted  Jews],  134- 
36. 

Chauncy,  Charles,  71,  72, 

Clark,  Mr.,  31. 

Cleveland,  82. 

Cochin,  Jews  of  y  1 1 ,  12  ;  see  also 
Malabar. 

Cohen,  Philip,  136. 

Cohen,  Samuel,  Rabbi,  80, 
97-98. 

Colman,  Benjamin,  Rev.,  22y 
42. 

Cotton,  Mr.,  55. 

Columbia  College  has  Hebrew 
Trustee,  54, 

Connecticut,  Jews  in,  106,  107, 
109-11;— Hebrew  Inscriptions 
there,  107. 

Constantinople,  Jews  in,  23, 
128. 

Conversions  of  Jews  in  New 
England  and  elsewhere,  37- 
48;  85,  111. 

Costa,  Abraham  de,  134. 

Costa,  Isaac  da,  134. 

Costa,  Louis  da,  76. 

Costas,  134. 

Countess,  German,  understands 
Hebrew,  68. 

Cracow,  Poland,  93. 

Crafts,  Colonel,  141. 

Cresson,  Warder  (Michael  Roaz 
Israel),  proselyte,  76-77. 

Curacoa,    W.    I.,    86,   93,    127, 


Da.ostas,  134. 

Daly,  Judge,  24,  25y  30,  34r  46, 
128,  134,  136,  142. 

Davenportf  W.,  52. 

Davenport,  J.,  38, 

Dayton,  Col.,  125. 

D'Azevedo,  see  Azevedo. 

De  Costar  see  Costa. 

Delisle,  Mr,,  64,  125. 

Dennison,  Frederick,  34. 

De  Sola,  see  Sola. 

Dexter,  F.  R.r  6,  21,  24,  25,  28, 
31,  32,  38,  80,  89,  106,  119, 
137,  140. 

Dickens,  Charles,  74. 

Dighton,  Mass.,  Hebrew  rock- 
inscription  there,  107. 

Dionysius  £  eoropag,  83. 

Dixwell,  8. 

Eberhard  III.,  Duke  of  Wuer- 

temberg,  69. 
Edes,  Peter,  62. 
Edwards,  Morgan,  Rev.,  45,  46. 
Eisenmenger,  26. 
Eleazar,  Rabbi,  51. 
Elias,    ben   Yizhak    ben   Arha, 

65,66. 

Eliot,  John,  13. 
Elisabeth,  Princess,  69. 
Elizur,  Isaac,  35,  108,  109. 
England,  Jews  in,  47,  134. 
Epitaphs,  Jewish,  137,  140. 
Eusebius,  51. 

Eustatia,  W.  I.,  93,  110,  127. 
Eutychius,  21,  115. 

Facsimiles  of  old  Prints,  39, 41. 

Falashas,  10. 

Fink,  Rev.  Mr.,  112. 

Frankel,  Z.,  24,  63,  140. 

Frankford  [Frankfort],  Ger 
many,  Jews  converted  in,  40, 
42. 

Franklin,  Benjamin,  106. 


INDEX. 


147 


Frasier,  Mr.,  a  Jew,  42,  43. 

Frazon,  Joseph,  the  Jew,  43. 

Frederick  V.,  69. 

Friedenwald,  Herbert,  76, 

Friendships^  Literary,  between 
Jews  and  Gentiles,  94-5 ;  78- 
98,  and  Appendix  II,  (esp.  p. 
125). 

Fuerst,  J.,  77,  78,  80. 

Qalicchi  [or  Gallichi],  77, 

Gangenelli,  139, 

Gedalia,  Meir,  Rabbi,  129. 

Gedelia,  Abraham,  65. 

Georgia,  Jews  in,  54,  63,  112, 

Gerson,  Hermann,  70, 

Goffe,  8. 

Gomez  Peto,  65,  66. 

Gordon,  Lord  George,  proselyte 

to  Judaism,  74-76, 
Gratz,  Rebecca,  122. 
Green,  Andrew  H,,  143. 
Gregoire,  Abbe,  47. 
Grotius,  Hugo,  139, 
Guedemann,  M.,  79. 

Halevy,  10. 

Hamilton,  W.  D.,  71. 
Hargal  [Carigal],  89,  91. 
Harris,      William      Thaddeus, 

137. 

Harrison,  Peter,  57. 
Hart,  ->bm.,  26,  123. 
Hart,  Isaac,  35,  64,  65. 
Hart,  Nathan,  35. 
Harts,    the,    of    Newport,    108, 

109. 
Hayes,  Mr.,  alleged  conversion 

of,  45,  46,  111. 
Hayes,  Moses  Michael,  46. 
•  Hayes,  Reyna,  Miss,  46,  128. 
Hebraists,  Christian,  in  New 

England    and    elsewhere,   6, 

37,  68,  99,  101,  104;  -female 

Hebraists,  67-72. 


Hebrew  rock-inscriptions  in 
America,  107,  111,  118. 

Hebrew^  study  of,  in  New  Eng 
land,  5-6;  see  also  "Hebra 
ists." 

Hebron,  Palestine,  65-66,  83, 
87,  89,  98,  114,  115,  129,  130, 
131  (Statistics). 

Heidek,  Rev.,  47, 

Heydeck,  Juan  Joseph,  47, 
48, 

Hideck,  Rev.  Mr.,  47. 

Hillel,  51. 

Hirshel,  Jachiel,  converted 
Rabbi,  45. 

Holmes,  Abiel,  7, 10,  14,  16,  17, 
21,  55,  56,  83, 

Holwell,  J.  Z.,  10. 

Holy  Land,  Jews  in,  131  (Sta 
tistics). 

Homer,  123, 

Honeywood,  St.  John,  136, 
137. 

Hubbard,  Dr.,  109,  111). 

Huehner,  Leon,  54. 

Imrie,  David,  13. 

Intermarriages,  47, 
Isaac,  Rabbi,  see  Carigal. 
Isaacs,  Aaron,  34. 
Isaacs,  Jacob,  108,  109. 
Isaacs,  Joshua,  110. 
Isaacs,  Ralph,  Jr.,  109. 
Ishaaci,  Selomoh,  Rabbi,  94. 

Jacobs.  35. 

Jacobs,  Joseph,  36,  48,  71,  76,  78. 

Jamaica,  W.  I.,  Jews  in,  86,  91, 

93,  127,  130. 
Jarchi,  see  Rashi. 
Jenkins,  J.  L.,  Rev.,  89. 
Jerusalem,   Jews   in,  64-66,  83 

[93,    97,    93,    105],    113,    131 

(Statistics) . 
Jeudah,  Hijam  [Hayyim],  65. 


148 


INDEX. 


Jews— as    Patriots,    29,   34-5, 

53-5. 
—  as  Tories,  28-36,  65. 

-  as  Whigs,  28. 

-  Conversions     of,     in     New 

England  and  elsewhere, 
37-48,85,  111— Proselytes, 
73-77. 

-  their   customs,   observances 

and  festivals  referred  to, 
24,  25,  26,  27,  72,  73,  74, 
75,  77,  125,  128,  130,  132. 
and  Afghans,  10. 

-  in  Charleston,  S.  C,  43,  47, 

[converted  Jew],  134-36. 

-  in  Cochin,  11,  12. 

-  in     Connecticut,    106,    107, 

109-11. 

-  in  Constantinople,  23. 

-  in  Georgia,  54,  63,  112. 

-  in  Jamaica,  W.  I.,  86,  91,  93, 

127. 

-  in  Jerusalem,  64-66,  83  [93, 

97,98,  105],  113. 

-  in     Leicester,     Mass.,     138, 

141-3. 

-  in  London,  23,  31,  32,  61,  87, 

97— converted,  40— Chris 
tian  proselytes  to  Juda 
ism,  47,  73-77  -  Rabbi 
Carigal  in  -130,  134,  135. 

-  in  Malabar,  11. 

-  in  New  Haven,  35,  109-110, 

112. 

-  in  Newport,  Kh.  1, 14,  16,  18, 

19,  23,  24,  25,  26,  28  et 
seq.,  43,  44,  45,  46,  53,  55- 
64,  66-67,  78-98,  108-9, 
138;  remove  to  Leicester, 
Mass.,  138,  141,  142. 

-  in  New  York,  18,  23,  46,  47, 

53,54,61,77,87  [106],  107, 
108,  110,  111,  112,  124,  130. 

-  in    Palestine,    129,    130,   131 

(Statistics). 


Jews— in  Philadelphia,  45,  54, 
66,  87,  111-112,  130. 

-  in  Samen,  11.  . 

-  in  Surinam,   D.   G.,  19,   20, 

87,  93  [110,  120],  127. 

-  and  Tartars,  10,  11. 
John,  Theodore,  40. 
Jona  Ben  Uzziel,  100. 

Jones,  Sir  William,  10,  11,  12, 

13. 

Josippus  Ben  Gorion,  106. 
Joyliff,  Mr.,  43. 
Justin  Martyr,  106. 

Kabalah,  81,  83. 

Kahira,  Egypt,  91. 

Karigal,       Karigel,       Karigol, 

Kargol,    Kragol,    see    under 

Carigal. 

Karigal,  Abraham,  91. 
Karigal,  Hayyim  ben  Abraham, 

91. 

Kayserling,  M.,  48,  66,  69,  70. 
Kidder,  Bishop,  40,  42. 
Kimchi,  David,  R.,  49,  52,  69. 
King,  Samuel,  50. 
Kingsley,  J.  L.,  7. 
Kohler,  Max  J.,  24,  25,  26,  29, 

30,  34,  76,  135. 
Kohut,  Alexander,  11. 
Kohut,  George  Alexander,  135, 

137. 

Ladd,  10. 

La  Motta,  Jacob  De,  Dr.,  54. 
Lardner,  Nathaniel,  Dr.,  108. 
Leeser,  Isaac,  l<ev.,  122,  136. 
Leicester  Academy,  history  of, 

141,  142. 
Leicester,  Mass,  Jews  in,   138, 

141-3. 

Levarez,  Rod.,  108. 
Levi  [or  Levy],  22,  47,  48. 
Levi,  Abraham,  27. 
Levi,  David,  48. 


INDEX, 


149 


Levi,  Hyam,  "^5, 

Levy,  Moses,  35,  108. 

Lewis,  Mr.  Tutor,  119. 

Lightfoot,  Dr.,  41. 

Lissa,  Poland,  a  Jew  from,  27. 

Livy,  51. 

Locke,  Samuel,  Rev.  Dr.,  99, 

London,  Jews  in,  see  under 
Jews. 

Lopez,  Mr.,  23,  61,  109, 114,  123, 

Lopez,  Aaron,  17,  19,  25,  2--30, 
34,  61,  64,  73,  108,  109,  122;— 
obituary  notices  of  him,  139- 
143-,— his  epitaph,  140-1;— 
inventory  of  his  estate,  142; — 
removes  to  Leicester,  Mass., 
138,  141,  142, 

Lopez,  Abraham,  91. 

Lopez,  David,  138, 

Lopez  Family,  obituary  no 
tices  of,  138-143, 

Lopez,  Moses,  25,  26, 77, 108, 123, 

Lopez,  Priscilla,  138, 

Lopez,  Sarah,  138. 

Lucina,  108, 

Lyon,  Enoc,  66. 

Macpelah,  Palestine,  Hebrew 
letter  from,  64-£,  114,  115. 

Magnus,  Lady,  64,  136, 

Maimonides,  16,  49,  50,  51, 

Major,  Mr.,  43. 

Malabar,  Jews  in,  11, 

Malamed,  David,  Rabbi,  129. 

Malki,  80. 

Malki,   Ezra  ben  Raphael,  80, 

Malki,  Moses,  79,  80. 

Manasseh  ben  Israel,  69,  70, 
136,  139. 

Marchant,  Henry,  32,  33. 

Mardokhai  ha-Levi,  91. 

Maria  Antonio  de  Verona, 
71-72. 

Mark,  Isaac,  136. 

Marks,  the  name,  136. 


Marquise,  Isaac  Rodriguez,  113, 
Marquise,  Rachel,  113. 
Mason,  24. 

Mason,  Jeremiah,  Hon.,  103. 
Mather,  Cotton,  6,  19,  20,  42,  41 
Mather,  Increase,  38,  39,  40,  41, 

42. 

Mendes,  A.  P.,  Rev.,  140. 
Mendes,  F.  de  Sola,  70. 
Mendes,  H.  P.,  58,  61. 
Meyer,  Louis,  22,  38,  39. 
Meyers,  109. 

Michael,  H,  T.,  65,  66,  9L 
Mickve  Israel  Congregation  in 

Philadelphia,  54, 
Monis,  Abigail,  epitaph  of,  137. 
Monis,  Judah,   convert,   22-23, 

39-42,  136,  137. 
Monselico,  Italy,  77, 
Montanus,  14, 
Montfaucon,  119. 
Mortara,  M,,  78. 
Moses  bar  David  [Ashkenazi],, 

79,  80,  81,  83. 
Mt.  Sinai,  inscriptions  on,  98, 

118. 

Myers,  Mordecai,  64, 
Myers,  Naphtali  Hart,  61, 

Nassy,  Samuel,  20. 

Nebuchadnezzar,  56. 

New  England — influence  of  Old 
Testament  thought  and  legis 
lation  upon  its  policy,  5;  see 
also  under  Conversions  and 
Hebraists. 

New  Haven,  Jews  in,  35,  109- 
110,  112. 

Newport,  Jews  in,  see  Jews. 

-  Jewish  Cemetery,  43, 60, 138, 

140. 

-  Synagogue,  16,  18,  19,  23,  24, 
25,  26,  27,  53,  55-64,  66,  84, 
93,  96,  98,  108,  115,  117,  119, 
120,  122;  photograph  of,  60, 


150 


INDEX 


New  York,  Jews  in,  see  Jews. 
Nichols,  Jno.,  Capt.,  109. 
Nieto,  David,  124,  130,  134. 

Obituary  Notices  of  the  Lo 
pez  Family,  138-143. 

Olive,  William,  Hebraist,  -37, 
67. 

Oliver,  Judge,  19,  121. 

Oppenheimer,  D.,  77. 

Oppert,  G.,  11. 

Owen,  John,  137. 

Paine,  Thomas,  49. 

Palestine,  Jews  in,  131  (Statis 
tics). 

Paramaribo,  D.  G.,  20. 

Parker,  Mr.,  70. 

Parker,  Paltah,  71 . 

Patna,  Ten  Tribes  in,  128. 

Pato,  Haijm  Jehudah  Gomez, 
66,  129. 

Patto,  Samson  Gomez,  66. 

'Peck,  Wm.  Augustus,  31. 

Peto,  Gomez,  65. 

Philadelphia,  Jews  in,  see  Jews. 

Phillips,  Naphtali,  54. 

Phillips,  N.  Taylor,  46,  54,  63, 
143. 

Philo,  52. 

Picciotto,  James,  74,  75,  76, 
135. 

Pinto,  the  Brothers,  109-110, 
111. 

Pinto,  Isaac,  18,  107,  124. 

Pinto,  Jacob,  35,  110. 

Pinto,  Samuel,  110. 

Pinto,  Solomon,  35,  110. 

Pipels,  Jacob,  81 . 

Polack,  46. 

Poland,  Jews  in,  80,  83,  93,  96. 

Pollack,  Myer,  45. 

Police,  Issachar,  45. 

Pollock,  Isaac,  61. 

Pollock,  Miss,  44,  45. 


Portrait  of  Rabbi  Carigal,  9H. 

Prideaux,  Dr.,  48. 

Prince  William  Fred.  Henry, 
20. 

Proselytes,  Christian,  to  Juda 
ism,  47,  73-77. 

Ptolomy,  King,  115. 

Rashi  [quoted  as  Jarchi],  16, 

49,50,51,95. 
Rhodes,  Jews  in,  80. 
Rivera,  Abraham,  61. 
Rivera,  Jacob  Rodr.,  26,  31, 117, 

121,  122,  132,  142. 
Rodgers,  Jno,  Rev.,  36. 
Rogers,  J.  E.  Thorold,  71. 
Rohan,  Prince  Renari  de,  70 
Rome,  Geo.,  31. 
Rophe,  Salomon,  34. 
Russel,  T.    72. 
Russia,  Jews  in,  83. 
Russmeyer,  Rev.  Mr.,  68. 

Salter.  Richard,  Rev.,  102. 
Salvador,  34. 
Samen,  Jews  in,  11. 
Saphed,  Palestine,  80. 
Sarsidas,  108. 
Schechter,  Solomon,  95. 
Schreier,  Eugene,  58, 61, 62,  63. 
Schudt,  Johann  Jacob,  26,  69, 

70,  74,  79  95. 
Schurman,     Anna     Maria     de 

[von],  69-70. 
Seixas      [sometimes      written 

Satius],  Penjamin,  63. 
Seixas  Gershom  Mendes,  Rev., 

53-55. 

Seixas,  Moses,  35,  62,  63  [91] . 
Seneca,  69. 
Sewall,  Hannah,  138. 
Sewall,  Samuel,  42,  43,  44,  138. 
Shammai,  51. 
Sheftall,  34. 
Silva,  Hiskiyah,  de,  66,  80. 


INDEX, 


151 


Simeon  ben  Jochai,  21,  82. 
Simon,  the  Jew,  4^. 
Simpson,  Mr.,  106. 
Simson,  Mr.,  Jr.,  107. 
Smyrna,  97. 
Socrates,  139. 
Sola,  Clarence  de,  135. 
Solomon,  Haym,  34. 
Southcote,  Johanna,  zealot,  82. 
Southwick,  S.,  122. 
Statistics,  Jewish,  17,  59,  108- 

113,  114,  131. 
Steinschneider,  Moritz,  68,  70, 

72,  77,  79,  80,  95,  97. 
Stiles,  Emelia,  89. 
Stiles,  Ezra  -  as  patriot,  36. 

-  corresponds  in  Hebrew  with 

Rabbi  Carigal  and  others, 
84,92,96,99,100,106,119, 
120,  123,  130,  131,  133. 

-  friendship  for  Jews,  9,  27> 

53,  64,  78-98,  and  Appen 
dix  II. ;  see  especially 
pp.  126-7,  131,  132,  138-41. 

-  inquires    into     the    where 

abouts  of  the  Ten  Tribes 
of  Israel,  9-13,  50,  128. 

-  interested  in  Old  Testament 

study,  6,  9,  49,  117-18. 

-  literary    activity    of,    8,    9, 

102,  106,  107. 

-  mystical  bent  of,  81,  82,  96, 

124. 

-  pronounces  oration  in  He 

brew,  102. 

-  pronounces  eulogy  on  Aaron 

Lopez,  138-9. 

-  Rabbinical    friends   of,    78- 

98. 

-  Scholarship  and  varied  at 

tainments  of,  6,  7,  8. 
-  Semitic  and  Oriental  stu 
dies  of,  14-28, 36,  37, 49-53, 
64,  85,  99-107,  115,  117-8, 
123-4. 


Stiles,    Ezra  -  translates    into 
Hebrew,  106. 

-  visits    the    synagogue ;    see 

under  Newport. 

-  wife  and  children  study  He 

brew^,  7,  68;  wife  attends 
his  classes,  6. 

-  writes   Aaron    Lopez's   epi 

taph,  140. 

Stiles,  Ezra,  Jr.,  17,  50,  68, 137. 

Surinam,  Jews  in,  19-20,  87,  93 
[110,  120],  127  [131,  132,  133.] 

Synagogu-e  in  Newport,  de 
scribed,  57-60;  photograph 
of,  60;  see  also  under  New 
port-  in  Palestine,  131— in 
Syria,  131  (Statistics). 

Tartars,  descended  from  the 
Ten  Tribes  of  Israel,  10,  11, 
50. 

Ten  Tribes  of  Israel — inquiries 
concerning  their  where 
abouts,  9-13  [43,  47],  50,  128. 

Thecla,  Lady,  scribe,  118, 
119. 

Titus,  56. 

Tobiah  ben  Jehudah,  80,  93, 
94,  96. 

Tophail,  Abu  Jaafar  Ebn, 
100. 

Tories,  Jewish,  in  Newport, 
28-36,  65. 

Touro,  Abraham,  60. 

Touro  Cadets,  58. 

Touro  [or  Tauro],  Isaac,  14,  15, 
19,  24,  25,  27,  35,  46,  58,  59, 
60,64,81,92,93,  96,111,  117, 
122,  128. 

Touro,  Judah,  46,  60. 

Touro  Street,  60. 

Treat,  Joseph,  23. 

Tremellius,  Emanuel,  40. 

Trypho,  the  Jew,  106. 

Turner,  Mr.,  55. 


152 


INDEX, 


Vansittart.  Henry,  10. 
Van  Straalen,  S.,  78. 
Veil,  L.  Compeigne  de,  78. 
Venice,  Jews  in,  110. 
Verona,     Maria    Antonio     de, 

71-72. 
Vossius,  139 

Wagenseil,  26. 

Wanton,  Governor,  19,  121. 
Washburn,  Emory,  141. 
Washington,  George,  President 

of  U.  S.,  54,  62-3.  • 
Watson,  Robert  75. 
Werdmueller,  Mr,,  45, 
West  Indies,  87,  93,  106,  110, 

113. 

Whaley,  8. 
Whigs,  Jewish,  28. 
Whitefield,  George  W.,  Rev., 

44. 

Whittelsey,  l<ev.  Mr.,  20. 
Wilkinson,  Jemina,  82. 
Willen,  106, 
Willner,  Wolf,  l<ev.,  7,  10,  17, 

18,  26,  36,  52,  56,  109,  123, 133. 
Wilton,  Connecticut,  a  Jew  at, 

106. 


Wolf,  J.,  Chr,,  74. 
Wolf,  Lucien,  48,  71,  76,  7K 
Wolf,  Simon,  20,  64,  136. 
Women  as  Hebraists-  see  He 
braists. 
Wright,  Bishop,  lllr  124. 

Yaghel  [or  Jagel]r  Abraham, 

77-78 

Yaghel,  Camillo,  censor,  77. 
Yale  College  -  bicentennial,  5 ; 

Hebrew  on  its  corporate  sealr 

ibid.;    study  of   Hebrew  at,, 

5-6y  14,  99-107. 
Yehudah,.  Hayyim,  65. 

Zabi,  Isaac  Hajja,  65. 

Zabi,  Mordecai,  Rabbi,  129. 

Zante,  Jews  in,  95. 

Zedeka,  Isaac,  Rabbi,  129. 

Zedner,  J.,  80,  91,  136. 

Zionists,  12r  767  77,  82, 
105. 

Zohar,  20,  21,  52,  53,  81,  82,  83, 
93,  100,  114,  131. 

Zubli,  I<ev.  Mr.,  45. 

Zurich,  Switzerland,  a  convert 
ed  Jew  in,  45. 


ADDITIONS   AND   CORRECTIONS. 

[Only  the  most  flagrant  typographical  errors  are  indicated  here.  In  many  case 
punctuation  and  quotation  marks  have  been  omitted.  These  and  "  sprung-off  letters' 
may  easily  be  supplied  by  the  reader.  ] 


Page  5 — The  opening  paragraphs  are  quoted  from  an  editorial 
in  the  Jewish  Exponent,  Oct.,  1901. 

Page  9-  After  line  5,  supply  the  heading:  Quest  for  the  Ten 
Tribes. 

Page  13— Line  12,  for  "Scoland,"  read:  Scotland. 

Page  17— Line  9 from  bottom,  insert  parenthesis  before  "  Holmes." 

Page  18-  Line  7  from  bottom :  "Alhazan  "  or  (el-Hazan},  I  am 
told  is  the  Sephardic  (Portuguese)  colloquial  term  for 
"Deader." 

Page  18— Line  6  from  bottom  (see  also  pp.  107,  124^ :  The  auto 
graph  of  Isaac  Pinto  is  to  be  found  in  a  beautifully  printed 
edition  of  the  Book  of  Exodus  in  the  library  of  the  Jewish 
Theological  Seminary  of  New  York  The  little  book  (duode 
cimo)  lacks  a  title-page,  and  appears  to  have  been  printed  in 
Amsterdam,  judging  from  certain  typographical  clews.  On 
the  fly  appears  the  inscription,  "Isaac  Pinto  |  Ab.  5525  July 
1765."  It  belonged,  formerly,  to  I.  B.  Kursheedt  the  owner 
of  a  large  collection  of  Hebraica  and  Judaica. 

Page  22— Line  18,  read  :  Cambridge. 

Page  23     Line  13  from  bottom,  read:  Constantinople. 

Page  30- Line  3,  close  bracket  after  30. 

Page  30- Line  18,  supply  quotation  marks  after  '•  Revenue"  and 
omit  them  before  "As." 

Page  34- Line  10  from  bottom:  The  name  Rophe  is  variously 
spelt  in  the  records.  Arnold,  in  his  History  of  Rhode  Island, 
voL  ii.,  p.  218,  n.,  has  Roffey.  I  find  among  my  notes  refer 
ence  to  Hildreth's  history  of  the  United  States,  p.  102,  and 
to  Benj.  Cowel's  (?)  The  Spirit  of '76  in  Rhode  Island,  Bos 
ton,  1850  p.  194,  where  Solomon  Rophee  is  cited  as  an  officer 
in  the  Continental  Army.  1  cannot  just  now  verify  the 
statement,  the  books  not  being  accessible. 

Page  36  Line  4  from  bottom:  the  last  four  lines  on  that  page 
and  the  first  fourteen  lines  on  page  37  belong  on  p.  49,  after 
line  5. 

Page  39 — Line  4,  put  comma  after  "decades." 

Page  44— End  of  line  4,  put  comma  instead  of  hyphen. 

Page  44— Line  2  from  bottom,  after  "displeased,"  add:  (February 
16th,  1771;  p.  91). 

Page  46— Line  12,  for  "other"  read:  Mother. 

Page  47— Line  15  cancel  reference  to  "Appendix"  and  see  instead 
p.  73,  line  9  from  bottom. 

Page  47— Line  11  from  bottom,  substitute  hyphen  for  semi 
colon. 

Page  55— Line  22,  omit  \sic\\  the  spelling  jn  in  the  printed  Diary, 
I.e.,  must  be  a  typographical  error. 


154  ADDITIONS    AND    CORRECTIONS. 

Page  63— Line  7,  to  the  bibliography  add  :  The  American  Jew  as 
Patriot  Soldier  and  Citizen,  pp.  53-59;  an  article  on  "Wash 
ington  and  the  Newport  Jews,"  in  Jewish  Comment,  Oct.  25, 
1S01,  p.  15.  A  facsimile  reprint  of  Washington's  letter  to  the 
Jews  in  Newport  is  to  be  found  in  the  Official  Souvenir  Book 


of  the  Fair  in  aid  of  the   Educational  Alliance  and  the 

Institute   [New  York],  1895,  pi 
The  original  is  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Frederick  Phillips  of 

XT ~\7 1_  S^J"        7~>     .  i   7  '        -.  _/   ' _  _T    <   7  A  •  T  '7        T  T  • 


Hebrew   Technical  Institute    [New  York],  1895,  pp.  44-45. 


New  York.  Cf.  Publications  of  the  American  Jewish  His 
torical  Society,  No  4,  p.  203;  No.  6,  p.  79. 

Page  63 — Line  14  from  bottom,  for  "Abrahams"  read:  Abra 
ham. 

Page  63— Line  9  from  bottom,  put  period  instead  of  comma  after 
"death." 

Page  65— Line  3,  put  period  after  "Land, "and  for  "  Heborn  " 
read:  Hebron. 

Page  66-Line  3,  for  "Hodesh  "  read  :  Hadash. 

Page  70— Line  14,  after  "years"  add:  In  his  Bodleian  Catalogue, 
col.  2574,  No.  7152  he  writes:  "  Mrt.  in  Frisia  4.  seu  5  Maji 
1678." 

Page  72— Line  7  from  bottom,  for  "  vol.  v."  read:  vol.  i. 

Page  78 — End  of  last  line,  put  comma. 

Page  79 — To  bibliography  on  Literary  Friendships,  add  Perles' 
Beitraege  zur  Gesch.  der  hebr  iind  aram.  Studien,  Muen- 
chen,  1884,  in  many  places. 

Page  82— Last  line,  after  "  in"  add:  its. 

Page  86— Line  4,  after  "  the  "  add  :  American. 

Page  92— Line  7,  read  "listening." 

Page  94     Line  9  from  bottom,  for  "his"  read:  This. 

Page  95— Line  6:  A  similar  instance  is  recorded  in  the  case  of  the 
/amous  Cardinal  Aegidius  de  Viterbo,  in  whose  home  Elia 
Levita  was,  for  a  long  time,  an  honored  guest.  See  Rieger, 
Geschichte  der  Juden  in  Rom,  vol.  ii.,  p.  88,  note  8;  Jew 
ish  Encyclopedia,  vol.  i.,  New  York,  1901,  p.  219  (H.  G. 
Enelow). 

Page  97     Line  71,  put  comma  after  '  orthography." 

Page  97     Line  22,  after  "  we"  add:  may. 

Page  99  -Line  16,  for  "are"  read:  is. 

Page  105     Line  13  from  bottom,  for  "spread"  read:  shed. 

Page  105     Line  5  from  bottom,  after  parenthesis  supply  comma. 

Page  1<  IS— Line  14  from  bottom,  supply  comma  at  end  of  the 
line. 

Page  109  -Line  7,  supply  quotation  marks  after  "  1762.'' 

Page  110 -Line  14  from  bottom,  after  "1784"  omit  quotation 
marks. 

Page  114     Line  2,  for  "HAJIM"  read:   HAIJM. 

Page  115     Line  16  from  bottom,  after  "much"  add:  and. 

Page  115     Line  17  from  bottom,  for  "  Amercia"  read:  America. 

Page  116     Line  9  from  bottom,  read:  Synagogue. 

Page  117— Line  2,  supply  quotation  marks  at  end  of  line 

Page  117— Line  8,  supply  period  after  "  Law." 

Page  118  -  Line  9  from  bottom,  for  "  108'   read:  107. 

Page  119  -Line  19,  omit  bracket. 

Page  121 — Line  14  from  bottom,  the  last  word  should  read  : 
[parashah~\. 

Page  124,  line  6,  after  "  'Kuipt  "  add  :  or  'Cuipt. 

Page  124,  note,  line  3,  read:   Bishop 


ADDITIONS   AND   CORRECTIONS.  155 

Page  129,  line  9  from  bottom :  After  the  death  of  Rabbi  Raphael 
Samuel  Mendez  de  Sola,  Haham  of  Curaqoa  who  died  May 
19,  1761,  Rabbi  Isaac  Henriquez  Farro,  of  Amsterdam,  was 
chosen  to  succeed  him.  After  serving  ten  months,  this  min 
ister  died  on  July  10th,  1762,  aged  forty  six  years.  For  a  term 
of  three  years  the  Rabbinical  office  remained  vacant,  until  the 
election  of  Rabbi  Jacob  Lopez  Da  Fonseca,  a  pupil  of  Haham 
De  Sola,  after  whose  death  he  was  sent  to  Amsterdam  to 
complete  his  studies.  Accordingly,  Rabbi  Carigal's  sojourn 
in  Curaqoa  must  have  fallen  between  1762  and  1765,  not  1761, 
as  Dr.  Stiles  (I.e.}  has  it.  For  the  above  data  I  am  indebted 
to  a  valuable  pamphlet  by  the  Rev.  Joseph  M.  Corcos,  Rabbi 
at  Curaqoa,  entitled:  A  Synopsis  of  the  History  of  the  Jews 
of  Curagoa  (Curaqoa,  1897),  p.  38,  where  some  interesting 
data,  relative  to  the  Newport  Jews,  are  to  be  found. 

Page  130  -  Line  9,  supply  period  iifter  ''sterling." 

Page  132— Line  17,  omit  the  first  "could." 

Page  133— Line  6,  for  "24"  read:  22. 

Page  133 — Line  4  from  bottom,  omit  bracket. 

Page  134— Line  10,  for  "  rubic  "  read:  rubric,  and  for  "paral 
leled  "  read :  parallel. 

Page  134— Line  20,  for  "29"  read  :  22. 

Page  134— To  line  21  add:  On  August  19th  the  diarist  writes 
(ibid.,  p.  455) :  "This  Afternoon  I  visited  Mr.  D'Acosta.  He 
showed  me  the  works  of  Maimonides  in  4  Vol.  fol." 

Page  135  -Line  2:  An  Isaac  de  Costa  is  mentioned  as  minister  of 
Congregation  of  "Beth  Elohim,"  in  1750.  The  old  cemetery 
is  called  the  De  Costa  burial-ground.  For  this  information 
and  much  new  material  concerning  the  Jews  in  Charleston, 
see  an  interesting  article  by  Rev.  Barnett  A.  Elzas  in  the 
Jewish  Comment,  May  30,  1902,  pp.  38-40.  To  the  bibliog 
raphy  on  p.  136  add :  David  Ottensosser,  quoted  in  the  sup 
plementary  note  below,  vol.  iii.,  pp.  126b-127b  ;  The  Occi 
dent,  vol.  xvi.  (1858  ,  p.  142.  At  the  eighth  annual  meeting 
of  the  American  Jewish  Historical  Society  a  paper  was  read 
by  Leon  Huehner,  Esq.,  on  The  Jews  of  South  Carolina 
prior  to  1800.  The  paper  is  not  yet  published.  Elzas  (I.e.), 
in  his  above-quoted  article,  states  that  he  has  collected  mate 
rial  covering  some  600  folio  pages  treating  of  the  Jews  in 
South  Carolina. 

Page  136— Line  17,  for  "313"  read:  513,  and  for  "  153''  read:  47. 

Page  136— Line  21,  for  "  Manasse"  read :  Menasseh    as  in  loco}. 

Page  137 -Line  19,  read:  Instructer. 

Page  137  — Line  8  from  bottom,  after  Northborough,  add  :  Mass. 

Page  138 -Line  1,  read:  THE. 

Page  138 -Line  12,  for  "1839"  read:   1830. 

Page  138-Line  18,  read:  Collections. 

Page  139  — Line  18,  read:  Emmanuel. 

Page  142— Line  13,  read:  Daly's. 

NOTE.— The  first  reference  to  Dr.  Stiles  and  Rabbi  Carigal 
in  Jewish  literature  is  not  in  Jost's  History,  but  in  David  Otten- 
sosser's  Geschichte  der  Jehudim.  vol.  iii.,  Fuerth  1825,  pp. 
125b-126a.  The  work  is  written  in  German  and  printed  in 
Hebrew  type,  and  seems  to  be  based  on  Hannah  Adams's  History 
of  the  Jews  C1812>.  See  also  Carmoly  in  his  Revue  Orientale, 
Brussels,  1846,  vol.  iii. 


0! 


RETURN  TO  the  circulation  desk  of  any 
University  of  California  Library 

or  to  the 

NORTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 
Bldg.400,  Richmond  Field  Station 
University  of  California 
Richmond,  CA  94804-4698 

ALL  BOOKS  MAY  BE  RECALLED  AFTER  7  DAYS 

•  2-month  loans  may  be  renewed  by  calling 
(510)642-6753 

•  1-year  loans  may  be  recharged  by  bringing 
books  to  NRLF 

•  Renewals  and  recharges  may  be  made  4 
days  prior  to  due  date. 

DUE  AS  STAMPED  BELOW 

APR  3  0  Z001 


LE 


12,000(11/95) 


YC  50229 


M153124 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


U.C.  BERKELEY  LIBRARIES 


